The Capitol Hunger Games
by evey424
Summary: What if Katniss didn't kill President Snow? What if the Capitol Hunger Games went on as planned? What would happen to those children? - WARNING: This story is stalled and may not ever be continued.
1. Chapter 1

**Part 1: The Invasion**

**Chapter 1**

It all starts the day the other family moves in.

My siblings and I had listened in the other room as our parents argued with the Peacemakers, but there was nothing they could do. So now we have four other people living in our basement that we have to feed and let use the bathroom.

This is so not okay with me.

It frustrates me that I can't do anything about it. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't his family. But of course, it is. It's Blaire who's living with us, the boy who tormented me throughout school and doesn't stop now.

"I can't believe you left this," I point at the dead mouse sitting on the desk, "in my room." My face is red in anger and he smirks.

"You look like the old American Flag," he snickers.

I feel my cheeks burn more as he refers to that. I just had to make my hair blue with sparkles, didn't I? I refuse to give him any prize though.

"And you look like a mime," I shoot back.

It's the truth. His hair is dark black and his skin looks deathly pale. He even added the dark makeup around the eyes and has the dopey expression most of the time. He scowls at me and I stick out my tongue. He storms out of my room, mumbling as if it's my fault he's here.

"Don't forget your little friend," I call after him. I pick up the mouse by its tail, determined to show I can do anything he can, and toss it at him.

He dodges it and yells in a whiny voice, "Mom, Shine is throwing dead mice at me."

Blaire's mother poked her fat face out of a doorway down the hall. "What is this entire ruckus about?" she asks angrily, "Your father is trying to watch the television."

Blaire seems to forget all about his little present to me. "What's on? Anything good?"

I understand his question. Nothing has been airing except for President Snow explaining how everyone was completely safe and how they had everything under control. To be honest, I didn't really care. Before Blaire's mom could answer my mom comes walking around the corner.

"Mom," I say, running to her, "Look at what Blaire put in my room."

I point at the dead rodent lying at Blaire's feet. I expect my mother to start yelling at him, but she just sighs.

"Blaire, talk to your mother," she says, giving his mom a meaningful look, "And Shine come with me."

Blaire looks at me smugly as we part. I give him a look that says this isn't over. He makes a face as the door closes that he thinks looks cool but I think makes him look ridiculous with his mime makeup. I follow my mom to the front room and we sit on the couches.

"Do we have to have them live with us?" I blurt out, "I can't stand Blaire anymore."

"I know, Shine," she says, "but remember what I told you about houses not being livable anymore?"

I know where this is going. "Cut me the little kid crap, Mom. I'm fourteen. Tell me what's really going on."

My mom studies me and sighs, "You're right, I can't keep trying to protect you. Do you know that broadcast we watched as a family?"

How could I forget it? The broadcast has burned in my memory ever since Katniss Everdeen said the words: If we burn, you burn with us. I don't know what it means exactly, but I know it's bad.

"Yes," I say.

"The Rebels, those are the people Katniss Everdeen represents, have taken over some blocks." She looks…different than usual, less confident than she normally is. It scares me.

"They invaded the Capitol?" I ask.

She nods, "And they continue taking it bit by bit."

My breath catches, "Isn't the President doing anything?"

She shrugs, "Everything he can. But Shine, please try to make nice with Blaire, they can't go anywhere else."

I'm sure that won't last long, but I nod anyways, "Okay Mom, thanks for telling me."

She smiles sadly as I stand. I walk out of the room and to the nearest television. I turn it on and start paying attention to President Snow's words.

"We ask you to please let people into your homes," he's saying, his big lips moving smoothly, "We need everyone to help if we're going to beat the Rebels."

The scene changes to Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark, and their gang. They're running down the street, pursued by Peacemakers.

"Mr. Flenn, Gasty," I call down the hall, knowing they're the ones that are most interested, "Come see what's on."

Even though I only called two names all of both of the families walk in. Everyone sits around the television, some on the floor and some on the couch. My siblings don't even argue about who gets which, they're too distracted by what's showing on the screen.

Katniss is, of course, shooting arrows into the Peacemakers, who are shooting at her. The Flenn family gasps as they see their house. Just then something shoots out the window and strikes one of the Katniss's party members. He drops to the ground. The others keep running. I glance at Blaire, who seems shocked that something that came out of his house had just killed someone. I look back at the screen and see that the Peacemakers are gone. But something else is coming. The camera backs up and shows a giant black wave coming for Katniss's group. It zooms back in when Peeta garbs Katniss's neck. He's about to finish her when another team member tackles him. The others scram as Peeta kicks the other off, sending him straight into another trap. A net comes over the other member and he stops moving. Other party members handcuff Peeta and they make their way into a house. The one I think is Gale stays outside, trying to get the net open. Finally he gives up and follows everyone inside the house. Moments after the door closes behind him the black wave arrives, smothering everything in its path. Everything is covered in a thick, oozing layer. If the man in the net wasn't already dead, he is now.

The room is completely silent as we all hold our breaths. We don't see anything moving inside the house. Time slowly ticks by. Then the house collapses on itself. We all stare as the house crumbles to pieces. If anyone was in there they are dead now.

A reporter appears on the screen. "We will do a search for their bodies." She was grinning triumphantly. "We will broadcast it as soon as we have any evidence."

My siblings cheer and even the parents look relieved. Mrs. Flenn takes little Jain in her arms and kisses his forehead. My mother takes the twins, Light and Bright, in her arms and dad clasps Gasty's shoulder, grinning. The only one that isn't celebrating is Blaire. When he turns I see his eyes are shining with held back tears. He sees me looking and quickly walks out of the room. I follow him into the living room. He curls up in a corner, wrapping his arms around his legs and facing away from me. I stand behind him, not quite sure why I pursued him.

"Hey," I say, "Why are you crying? This is good right?"

He didn't look at me, "Why is it good?"

He has to be pulling my leg. "We just beat Katniss Everdeen! That has to be good."

"I'm not so sure," he replies.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

He shakes his head, "You won't understand. Just like everyone else."

I don't think I'm supposed to hear that last part. "Well how can I if you won't tell me?"

He spins around, dark eyes blazing, "Fine, you want to know? I think all this killing is pointless."

His anger surprises me. I take a step back. "But without it The Rebels-"

"Oh cause what they're doing is so bad," Blaire says sarcastically.

"If it weren't for them then you'd still have your home," I point out.

"Well the Capitol has done much worse things to them."

"What are you talking about?"

He took something out of his pocket. Papers, it looked like. "I've been doing some research ever since we had to move out." He holds the papers in front of my face, waving them around. "They torture them and let them starve! And, just while they're at it, they send their kids off to kill each other."

"That's to teach them a lesson," I object.

"And what good did that do?" he shouts back, "It just fed the fire of the next rebellion."

I had nothing to say to that. Why was Blaire defending The Rebels? The people who had caused us so much trouble? He had a point, but the Capital was our home! But…but…

He stares at me, waiting to see how I'll react. I turn away from his burrowing gaze, feeling confused.

"Where did you get this information?" I ask, changing the subject slightly.

He brushes it off like it's not important. "I have my ways, but let's just say my dad's work helped."

His dad works as a bodyguard at the capitol. He would have information about the capitol. How did Blaire managed to break into the system? I've been giving him too little credit, unless he had help. But still…he's defending The Rebels! The very enemy his father is protecting the Capitol from.

Before either of us could say more my brother, Gasty, calls out to us.

"You two come back in here," he says, "Something's happening."

We walk back in the room and sit at opposite ends. On the screen the fallen building is being picked through by machines and Peacemakers together. After a moment of looking the women announcer is back on the screen, looking more upset than before.

"We have not found any evidence of the bodies," she announces grimly, "It appears the Katniss Everdeen has escaped."

As a note of defeat settles around the room, I can't help but notice Blaire's smile.

The weeks after that the government takes some safety measures. We are forbidden to go outside, all cell phones have been turned off, and the built-in touch screen computers can only be used for research. Who would do research at all is beyond me. So there is nothing to do and it is terribly boring. Blaire is my only company, and he's back to his old mood. I'm sitting on the couch trying to be creative and draw something when he comes in and starts being annoying. Like usual.

"What's with you and stars anyway?" he asks, poking the corner of my eyes, where I had printed stars onto my skin.

"I did it to say I'm out of this world," I say dramatically, only half-joking.

"Well, you're full of yourself," he states as he continued to poke my stars.

"Why did you make yourself look like a mime?" I shoot back at him.

He scowls and I feel a burst of satisfaction. I draw a quick sketch of his dopey face, (purposely making it bad), and show it to him.

"It's like looking into a mirror," I announce, grinning.

"Haha, you're hilarious," he says. Then he snatches the paper out of my hand and flips to a new page. He takes my pencil and draws a picture. When he holds it up I glare. "And this is you in the future!"

Its me standing on the moon in the outfit astronauts wore in our history books. My head is huge and I'm grinning madly saying, "I'm out of this world!" In my hand is the old American Flag. Again with the flag! I hit the notebook out of his hand and stand up.

"What's your problem?" I scream at him, "Why do you always have to make fun of me?"

He snickers, "You're face is red again."

Anger builds up in the pit of my stomach and before I know it my hand raises and slaps him across the face, hard. He sits there, looking stunned, redness appearing on his cheek despite the makeup. I stand with my arms folded, waiting for his reaction, daring him to hit me back.

We glare at each other for several long moments. I'm surprised at the anger I see in his eyes. It seems he's angry about more than just my slap. Our conversation from a couple of weeks ago pops into my head. The one about if what the Rebels were doing was bad or not. Is he still steaming from that argument?

He slowly stands and the rage on his face scares me, but I don't back down. His hands are in fists at his sides, as if he's really trying to keep them still. One makes its way up to grip my shirt. He opens his mouth.

Before he can speak the twins come crashing in. They're shouting and pulling on something that neither of them will let go of. Blaire lets go of my shirt. Light grabs onto me and Bright onto Blaire. Bright always went to Blaire for his problems; it annoys me like nothing else.

"Shine," Light complains to me, her electronic color-changing headband shining, "It's my turn on the pCube but Bright won't give it to me." At the same time Bright says, "I'm not done with it yet and Light keeps trying to take it."

I say, "Bright, give Light the pCube."

At that same moment Blaire says, "Light, stop trying to take the pCube from Bright."

We glare at each other. We are never going to solve the problem this way. I pluck the cube out of the twins' hands.

"Since you two were fighting over it neither of you get it," I said, walking over to Gasty, who had just walked in. "Gasty does."

He seems surprised at first but when I give him a look he understands and takes it.

"Cool," he says.

He flops down onto the couch and starts messing with the cube. The twins start whining to me but I hold up my hand and they stop.

"Listen," I tell them, "Gasty gets a half an hour on the pCube, that's thirty minutes. Then Light gets it," I see Bright open his mouth to object, "Just because you already got to play it, Bright. Light gets thirty minutes on it, then it's your turn. It will switch back and forth like that until you're done with it. You have to tell me when you start and I'll keep track of the time. You guys got it?"

They nod.

"Good," I say, "now go find something else to do."

They scamper off. I breathe a sigh of relief, it actually worked. I turn to see Blaire staring at me, but instead of anger, something else is in his stare. I can't name was it is, but it makes me feel weird and self-conscious.

"What?" I say harshly. I still hadn't forgotten our fight.

This snaps him out of it. His expression turns sour and he trudges out of the room. All of a sudden I feel very annoyed again. I sit on the couch, tuck my legs to my chest and fold my arms around them, glaring at the wall. I feel someone's eyes on me again and I look at Gasty. He's smiling at me; his red contacted eyes making him look conniving.

"What?" I ask again, exasperated.

"Nothing," he says, turning back to his game.

Oh there's something. I continue looking at him, but he doesn't look back up. After a few more minutes I slide next to him and watch what he's doing. Gasty is a whiz with electronics. He could win any game system, crack any code, break in to any website…

A thought occurs to me. There is no way Blaire could break into the Capitol files, but Gasty…maybe he could. I'm positive he could. Did he help Blaire break into the system? He wouldn't…would he?

"Hey Gasty," I say, trying to sound casual.

"Hm," he replies.

"Me and Blaire had a fight," I say slowly, careful with what I say.

"Yeah, I heard it when I was coming down the hall," he tells me.

"No, it was a couple of weeks ago," I say, "Blaire started defending the Rebels. He said the Capitol was doing horrible stuff to them. He had these papers that had all the information on them and when I asked where he got them he was very vague."

"Supporting the Rebels?" Gasty still didn't look up from the pCube. "Why would he do that?"

"I don't know," I admit, "but he seemed to think they were doing the right thing. What I'm wondering is: How did he get that information? If there really was anything it would probably be locked up behind lots of pass codes and security systems. Blaire would never be able to break in without getting caught."

Gasty's black eyebrows went up but still he didn't look at me. "That's true, but why would he even look for that information?"

"Don't try to change the subject. Blaire couldn't break into those files alone, he had help."

"Help? Who would help him?"

"You tell me."

His red eyes finally met mine. The corner of his black lips quirks up and he holds up his hands in surrender.

"Fine, you caught me," he says.

I stare at him open-mouthed. I was hoping it wasn't true. "You helped Blaire break into Capitol files? Why?"

He shrugs, "I was curious."

"But now all these crazy thoughts are running through Blaire's head and you-" I stop talking, a new thought dawning on me. "Hold on, you don't agree with Blaire, do you?"

He sets the cube down on the arm of the couch and sits back, rubbing his chin dramatically.

"Now that is a good question," he says, "According to records written by the President himself, he purposely lets the Districts starve and die while he sits all comfy cozy in his over-plush couches. I just don't know if I believe him."

I can't believe this. He's three years older than me and I think better than he does.

"You've gotta be kidding me," I say, "You support the Rebels too?"

"I never said that," he replies, "I don't like what they're doing, I think its stupid, but I understand where they're coming from."

"Of course it's stupid!" I yell.

"I know, they're just going to die," he says, "There's no way they can beat our government's military."

"And what about us?" I ask, "What about us Capitol citizens? They're taking away our homes."

"I just told you I didn't like what they were doing," he points out.

"Ugh, boys are so frustrating," I grumble, standing up.

He grins, smoothing back his bright red hair. "We try."

I give him one last glare and stomp out of the room. I go to my room, slam the door behind me and collapse on my bed. I twist the blankets, trying to control my anger. Two, two people in my home who aren't furious with the rebels. And one of them was Gasty, of all people! I looked up to him, but now I'm not so sure I should. I felt like punching one of them in the face, but I had to make do with my pillow.

After tons of punches I'm sure my pillow will rip with one more. I'm about to deliver it when my mother walks in. She stops in the doorway, a look of concern on her face as she studies me. I'm frozen mid-swing. I think she's going to start yelling but she just ignores it.

"Get anything you can carry," she says, "We're leaving."

"Wait, what?" I ask just as she's walking back out. I catch her arm and try to stop her. "What do you mean we're leaving?"

"President Snow has issued an emergency evacuation," my mother explains, "Everyone must go to the Capitol building."

"But why?" I wonder.

She pauses, pursing her lips. "The Rebels are closing in. They think Katniss is in the Inner City."

I'm shocked. "What? How did they get in past all those-?"

"It doesn't matter," my mother interrupts, "We'll be safe at the Capitol building. Get only the things you can pack into one suitcase."

I'm about to complain. One suitcase? How was I supposed to fit all I wanted in there? My mother's expression cuts me short and I bow my head.

"Yes mother," I say.

"Thank you, Shine," she says, then walks down towards the twins' room.

I walk back into my room and look around. One suitcase, that's it. I have no idea where to start so I slip on my coat, my jacket, hat, and tie on my scarf. It's in the middle of winter so it's going to be cold. I grab my biggest suitcase and start sticking things into it. Extra clothes, brushes-both the teeth and hair kind, I decide to leave my hair dye and extra star stuff. I didn't need them, although I did want them. I pack my notebook, for something to do, and a family photograph. I manage to fit tons of other stuff before it's full. When I'm done I wheel it out to the living room, where everyone else is gathered.

Bright is crying and my mother is trying to comfort him, telling him everything is okay. Light is also crying and walks over to me.

"Mom won't let me take Vanessa," she sobs.

I kneel to her. "Vanessa will be okay here. She has Gills and Mark. Mark will protect her."

Her little hiccups grow quieter, "They were about to get married."

"It will just have to wait a bit, okay?" I say, buttoning her bright lemon yellow coat.

She nods and goes to help comfort Bright. Little Jain is whaling and Mrs. Flenn rocks him in her arms. The two fathers are gathering food and Gasty and Blaire are talking quietly in the corner. I shoot them a glare and Blaire catches it. He grins at me, apparently feeling proud. So his little Rebels have managed to overtake the Inner City. Good for them. Gasty turns and walks over to me. He has a bag on his shoulder and a small suitcase at his feet. All he has for warmth is a light jacket.

"Won't you get cold?" I ask.

He shrugs. "I never really get cold."

I nod my agreement. It could below freezing and all Gasty would need was a hat and scarf. The fathers finish packing and we all head out the door into the crowded streets. Ice pelts my exposed skin and stings my eyes. We are immediately swept into the crowd and Gasty holds me close to him. I take his hand and my mom's, who takes Light's, who holds Bright's, who clutches Dad's. Blaire's family is behind us. We follow the flow and I can just see a few feet ahead. People press against me and step on my suitcase. I end up just holding it, which gets tiresome. Some citizens obviously weren't prepared for the evacuation. They were only wearing their nightgowns. Gasty lets go of my hand and I panic, but he's just pulling off his jacket. He hands it to a child passing by who's only wearing his pajamas. The child takes it graciously and a smile warms Gasty's face. I look admirably at him as he takes my hand again.

We break into the main alleys and follow the Peacemakers' commands of staying to the right. Things get brighter despite the snow and I can see faces pressed against the glass of shops, all refugees. For a moment I wish we would have evacuated sooner but then I remember we're going to the Capitol building. We'll be the safest there. I see my sister whisper something to my mom and point at something. I look at what and see a woman in a bright red coat. Why did she catch Light's interest?

Suddenly blasts pierce my ears and my mother drops down next to me. I look down at her for a moment, thinking she had just tripped. Then hands grab my arms and start leading me away from her. That's when I see the darkening red stain that spreads across her chest. Tears flood my eyes as the reality sets in and despair takes over me. I thrash against the hands, trying to get back to my now dead mother.

"Mom," I scream my voice high and grief filled, "Mother!"

Then I see the girl wearing a bright yellow coat kneeling next to her. Light shakes our mother, trying to get her to wake up. Tears stream down her face as she sits in plain sight of any shooters.

"Light," I shriek, "Light, get away from there! Light!"

I see my father start heading towards her, a weeping Bright on his back. Before he can get there more gunshots ring out and holes appear in Light's chest. The blood sprays all over the coat I got her for her birthday as she lands on her back. Her lifeless eyes seem to stare right at me.

"Light," I screech, "No, Not Light! Light, please no!"

My body shakes with the force of my sobs and finally I let whoever's holding me lead me away from the two corpses. I look up into Gasty's face and see his shining eyes. The tears don't fall, but the pain is written on his face. I bury my face in his chest and my tears soak his shirt. I feel my father's arm wrap around my shoulder and they guide me through the crowded streets.

I'm jerked back and the movement causes me to look up. Just feet from us a pod releases steam. I can feel the heat of it from where I'm standing and everyone in its path gets cooked alive. My brother pulls me onto a street and we continue walking, ignoring the screams and wailing around us. More gunshots ring out and people drop everywhere, but the only thing that matters to me is my family standing around me. We had lost track of Blaire's family after the first shootings. Rebels surround us shooting but we just run forward, praying nothing gets us. All of a sudden two citizens burst out from another street. They have guns and start shooting, at who I'm not sure.

I hear a metallic pinging noise and pain explodes through my calf. I cry out and start to fall. Gasty catches me and picks me up in his arms bridal style. I look down at my leg and see blood trickling out of the hole in it. Fighting nausea but moaning in pain I look around. I see the woman in the red coat running in the opposite direction, her gun firing at everything.

Everything from then on is foggy. I vaguely remember another pod going off, sending burrowing bugs into the skin of nearby citizens and Rebels. I barely register pain in my hand and lift it to look at it. I realize that a bug has latched on and is now tunneling into it. Before it can get far Gasty pinches my skin, squeezing it out and flicks it away. I just have time to think, or maybe I said it out loud, Hehe, Gasty, I reach up and pat his cheek, you're glowing, before I passed out.

I woke up with my head in my father's lap. Bright was on the other side of him and Gasty sat at my feet, his hand lying protectively on my leg. I looked at my shot leg, at the considerably smaller hole, and at the blood that was, most noticeably, not there. I shifted my leg and pain shot up it, just not as much as I thought would.

"What is this?" I say, perplexed and slightly annoyed. If I fainted, it should have been for a good reason.

Gasty smirks at me, but I can see the relief in his eyes. "What is what?"

I gesture wildly towards my leg. "I was shot! Now it just looks like I was stung by a bee or something."

His smirk grows. "Gun wounds don't really bleed unless they hit an artery. Which, in your case, it didn't."

"That is so la-" I stop talking when Bright's upside down face takes up my vision.

"Shine," he says, tears run down his cheeks and landing on mine. "Don't you ever do that again. You have to promise me that you will never make me feel like that again."

"Oh Bright," I say, shifting and hugging him. The memory of my two family members' deaths came back to me and I start sobbing. "I'm so sorry. I promise that I won't. I will only make you happy, got it?"

He nods and his tears stain my coat. More tears flow out of me. Bright was my strong little soldier, seeing him like this devastates me. I feel more arms wrap around us as Gasty and Father join our hug. We all shake and tremble together, grieving for our lost loved ones. Finally Father pulls away and we all just lean on each other. The tears had stopped a long time ago and we're silent.

This is when I notice what's going on around us. We're in the City Circle and are surrounded by refugees. Some are walking around aimlessly, others are weeping, and others are eerily still, letting the snow cover them. I look over at the President's mansion and notice a concrete barrier surrounding it. It's about four feet high and has refugees inside it. I feel a burst of anger as I assume that they're the ones picked to get protection, but then I notice that they're all children. Ranging from teenagers to toddlers they huddle on the ground with others or by themselves. Peacekeepers guard them, but they don't do anything to help them and their freezing conditions. I look at Gasty and see he's watching the children too. Rage is fierce in his red eyes.

"Gasty," I say. He doesn't look at me but gives a small "Hm," in reply. "Why are those children there? Why doesn't President Snow take them somewhere safe?"

Gasty looks at me. The anger in his eyes is not directed at me, but it still makes me lean back. "He's using them as a human shield."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"He means that the President is using them as a protection against the rebels," my father answered.

"But that puts them all in danger," I say, shocked. "Why would he do that?"

"To save his own pathetic life," that came from a new person who had just walked up. Blaire.

He's alone and blood stains his coat. I can't tell if it's his or someone else's. His eyes are hollow even though his voice was filled with hatred. I want to know what happened to him but I'm too afraid to ask.

Gasty does instead. "Is your family…?"

Blaire shakes his head. "Not all of them. My parents, yes. Jain was taken away from me."

I look where he's staring and see the little toddler inside the wall. He's crying and crawling around, looking for familiar faces. I look back at Blaire and see that his fists are clenched at his side. This must be so hard for him. He sits down next to Gasty and puts his head in his hands. Gasty grabs his shoulder and stays silent.

Suddenly one cry said by hundreds of people pierces the air. "The rebels! The rebels!"

The crowd in front of us surges to the left and Rebels come pouring into the circle. They push the refugees back to the avenues but since we're on the edge we aren't swept up in the movement. I watch as a hovercraft marked with the Capitol's seal appears right above the refugee children. The bottom opens and hundreds of silver parachutes come raining down into the waiting arms of the children. They know what the parachutes mean: Food, medicine, gifts. They had watched it over and over on their screens. The hovercraft disappears. I have enough time to be envious of them and angry that we didn't get the blessing of parachutes. Then they explode.

Suddenly I'm very happy that we didn't receive any.

I hear Blaire screaming besides me and more join his cry. Detached body parts and dead eyes litter the ground that was swiftly becoming red. Most were killed in the explosion while others laid in agony and some walk around mutely. I can see Jain's limp little body lying among the dead.

With tears streaming down his face Blaire starts to rush towards the barricade. Gasty and I grab him, keeping his with us. He screams at us, trying to break out of our hold. Apparently the Peacekeepers had no idea of the exploding parachutes because they're breaking down the barriers, trying to get to the surviving children. Among their white uniforms come others. I have no idea who they are until Gasty mummers something under his breath.

"Rebel medics."

Rebel medics? Why are they here? Why are they helping us? President Snow sent the parachutes, right? I have no time to wonder more because that's when the rest of the parachutes go off. These send flaming streaks flying towards the crowds and set flame to everything they touch. I scream as one soars towards us and feel my father pulling me out-of-the-way. Gasty jumps away at the last second.

Blaire isn't so lucky.

He had been so caught up in seeing his dead brother that he doesn't see the burning ball coming at him until it's too late. He's flung back when it makes contact, his skin and clothes aflame. He lands roughly ten feet away from me and I pull away from my dad and run to him. Panicking I rip off his jacket. By his scream I know I pulled off more than that but I don't let that stop me. I pat his remaining clothes and skin with snow, trying to douse the flames. It turns out he's one of the ones who got it easy. He had managed to step slightly to the side before the ball hit him, so only his left side is burned and his face is intact. The others I see burned out of the corner of my eyes aren't spared the painful death. When Blaire's screaming becomes whimpers I look around.

Gasty is helping with others who were burned but are still alive. I see countless bodies lying charred and motionless around me. I notice one who is especially bad. She's lying at a base of a light pole and she's shrieking and crying. She doesn't notice the flames that still lick her. She stretches out her hand as if reaching out to someone. I look where it's pointed and see a corpse with a long blonde braid. Then the woman faints. The Rebels still swarm in the crowd, but it's obvious they don't need to do anything more about the refugees. I see of bunch of them crowd around the woman and lift her up. I get a glimpse of her face and my blood runs cold.

It's Katniss Everdeen.

But that's not possible. Katniss Everdeen is evil. She's the leader of the Rebels. She doesn't feel anything, yet I had just seen her mourning over some girl. Who could be important enough to Katniss to make her cry? My thoughts are interrupted by Blaire when he tugs on my sleeve. I can barely stand looking at him. The skin on his left arm and leg was inflamed and blistering in some places and in other places it was charred black straight to the bone. I fight bile rising to my throat and force myself to look at his face. Its better looking. The burns stop on his neck, so his face is intact. He looks like he's fighting to stay conscience.

"Why…" he pauses and tries again, his voice is a little stronger but still scratchy. "Why did you help me?"

I probably shouldn't be cruel to the injured person but with everything happening at once my nerves are fried. "Because you got hit with a flaming fireball. Did you forget that?"

I know if he could he would have rolled his eyes. "But, I thought you hated me."

I don't know what to say. We have had our fair share of fights, but I don't hate him. How could he think that? Actually...

"I thought you hated me," I reply.

His eyes go wide in shock. "No, I don't."

I'm about to ask why he teases me but his eyes close and I know he won't reply. I realize how hard my heart is pounding and I take deep breaths to slow it. I don't know why I bother because I'm still freaked out and there is no way I'll be calm. I look around and spot my dad sitting on a ledge a couple of feet away with Bright. I shout at him and he comes over to help me. He picks up Blaire gently and gets Gasty. Together we walk to the nearest doorway and step inside.

It's crowded and filled with refugees. Some take Blaire and lay him next to a line of other unconscious people waiting for medical attention. I'm pushed into a wall and have to stay on the edge of the crowd. Since I can't do anything else I sit on the windowsill and watch the scenes happening out the window.

Bodies still litter the ground and the Rebels have to step around them. Some of them don't care though and just walk all over them. Others seem to go out of their way to kick the corpses. Anger flares inside of me but I don't dare to go out and confront them. They enter the mansion and surround it. After a long while I see a white flag rise up out of the tallest tower. I whimper.

The Rebels did it. They won.

I turn and take a long look at Blaire. Wouldn't he be happy right now. When I look out the window again I see the Rebels escorting some high-ranking Officials out of the building, but I don't see President Snow. Wouldn't he be the first they went to?

Somehow I fall asleep there on the windowpane. My dreams are filled with blood and explosions and it's a blessing when I'm shaken awake. I blink my eyes open to see Gasty. His face is melancholy and he points to the T.V mounted and the far wall. It's flickering to life and a woman I recognize as Coin comes onto the screen.

"Its over," she says, "We have captured your President and he has unconditionally surrendered. I am now the President and we will be patrolling Panem. Any Capital citizens who try to fight us will be punished."

It turns off and it's completely silent in the room. No one can believe this is happening. A little girl starts crying and soon enough the room fills with whimpers and sobs. I feel depressed and defeated but no tears come. I see Gasty is the same way. I grab his hand and pull him over to me, setting him down next to me. I lay my head on his shoulder and clutch his arm. His presence makes me feel safer.

"What's going to happen to us?" I whisper, scared of the answer.

He strokes my hair. "I don't know," he replies.

This makes me panic. Gasty always knew. Always.

"Why?" I ask, "Why did President Snow do that?"

He looks at me for a long moment. "It wasn't President Snow."

"But the hovercraft had the Capitol's seal on it."

"If he had a hovercraft don't you think he would use it to escape."

I let this sink in. "So it was the Rebels." It seems so obvious now.

Gasty doesn't say anything. Eventually portions of the little food that was managed to be saved gets passed around. I take small bites of mine, realizing I wasn't really hungry even though I haven't eaten for a couple of hours now. Father and Bright slide in next to Gasty and I.

We spend the next few days in that cramped room. Blaire didn't get attention until the third day, and when he finally does it doesn't really do much. All they can do is make sure he doesn't have any infections. Thankfully, he doesn't. He still hasn't woken up and lies on the ground next to my family.

More updates are broadcasted on the T.V. President Snow had been trialed and found guilty. Katniss Everdeen herself was doing the execution herself. So she had survived her burns.

To keep ourselves busy my siblings and I make up games to play. Gasty's brilliant at coming up with new things and Bright always has a way to make them exciting. They take the old game of Tic-Tac-Toe and change it to Tic-Tac-Dodge. Don't ask about the dodging, you don't want to know.

Depression and defeat still weighs on everybody's minds though and the sound of tears never stops. I become more inspired as I watch Gasty cheer-up the little children. He must be freezing without his jacket, but if he is he doesn't show it.

Finally the day of President Snow's execution comes. Blaire wakes up just before we leave. Rebels file in and march us down the short distance to the front of the mansion. Hundreds of Capitol citizens are there, all watching the raised platform in the front. All of the other people flooding the streets are Rebels. They outnumber us at least eight to one. I clutch on to Gasty, Father and Bright and take comfort with Blaire behind me. They are now my lifelines in the ocean of fear flooding my mind.

People file onto the stage, including guards, officials, Rebel leaders, and victors. I watch Peeta's burned yet still handsome face as he takes his place. He seems angry, very angry. Bursts of cheers erupt from the Rebels around me when Coin steps onto the balcony. Then Katniss steps out, looking stiff but sharp in her Mockingjay suit. The crowd grows louder and I shrink back, trying to look small. She turns profile and waits until they march President Snow through the doors. The noise grows deafening and my heart drops to my stomach. They tie his hands to a post, though I doubt he would run.

Katniss reaches for her single arrow and notches it, aiming straight for the white rose over President Snow's heart. He coughs and bloods drips down his chin. My breath becomes faster as I wait for the arrow to fly. Katniss pauses, probably for dramatic effect. Her and President Snow's eyes meet just for a moment before she sends the arrow flying. It's in the air for less than a second in it seems before it hits its target. Striking the beautiful white rose it enters the President's heart and he slumps forward. Dead.

The majority of the crowd goes nuts. I expect joy to show in Katniss's face, but her eyes are hollow. She's escorted off stage and that's the end of it. Coin starts talking.

"Things are going to be different from now on," she says, her voice ringing throughout the circle. "Things will be fair between all people. Everyone will do their work and what they earn for that, and no more innocent lives will be wasted."

Cheers respond to her words and I feel as though I'm slipping away from reality.

"To celebrate this new era," she continues, "and to make up for all those who had to suffer through Snow's selfish plans, we have one more thing to do." She pauses as anticipation rises in the crowd. "In two weeks from today, we are going to have a final Hunger Games. This one with Capitol children."

This brings me sharply back to reality and makes my blood run cold. My breath catches and I squeeze Gasty's hand, begging him without looking at him to tell me this won't, this can't, happen. He squeezes my hand back reassuringly, but I know there's no denying what's going to come.

The 76th Hunger Game was about to begin.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys. Here's the second chapter for the few of you who are reading this. I hope you like it. This is my first story ever on FF, so please give me any advice you have. If anything is not right according to Hunger Games please tell me. Enjoy :)**

**Oh, and I do not own The Hunger Games.**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

The next two weeks are a blur.

I'm numb with the ever-present fear. My brothers try to cheer me up and I feel bad because they try so hard with no results. The updates on the T.V. don't help them. Blaire is silent most of the time. Keeping to himself. I almost want him to make fun of me again, just so I can hear him talk. My father is always there, off to the side but present. A beacon of protection in my increasingly darkening world. Okay, now I'm starting to sound poetic. That's how deep I am into this PTSD thing. That's what Gasty calls it anyway.

Everyone else in the room is the same. Cries and whispered conversations fill the still air. I'm always hungry with the little food that we got and my throat is always dry. Basically, life sucks right now.

One day Gasty starts coughing. I look at him, not really worried but curious.

"Dry throat," he says roughly.

I look away and go back to my now regular position. My arms wrapped around my legs and my head resting on my knees. Bright is next to me, singing catchy jingles from commercials. You've got to admire his persistence.

I groan when he starts singing one of the more annoying ones. "You've sung that a million and one times," I mumble to him.

This, of course, causes him to sing louder. I raise my head to look at him and manage to rise up the corner of my mouth. He grins back at me, glad to at least get a little bit of a different expression from me.

I'm finally able to break out of my depression and start teasing and joking around with my brothers. I poke both their stomachs and hurry to protect mine. This ends up starting a war of pokes and they jab me everywhere. Then it turns into a ticking fight and Gasty manages to pin me to the ground as Bright tickles me. My laughter is uncontrollable and I feel tears running down my cheeks.

"No…fair," I say between the laughing and gasping for breath, "Two against…one."

They're laughing too and we playfully continue our fight. I get Bright into a fit of giggles by grabbing his feet and running my fingernails along them. Then Gasty drags me away from him and I switch to tickling him in his weak spot, which only I know where it is. His limbs flail around as he tries to get me to stop.

"No, no stop," he laughs, "Stop, quit it!"

I laugh louder, making it sound slightly evil, as I tickle him even more. Eventually we all just lay on top of each other, unable to stop our laughter. I see people giving us looks but I don't care. It feels so good to laugh after all this time. Then Bright suddenly stops and sits back up.

"What's wrong," I smile, reaching out to poke his side, "had enough?"

He stops my hand and points to the T.V., which had flickered on in our laughter filled moments. Our laughter immediately stops. Coin stands proudly in a crisp and clean uniform so unlike the torn and dirty clothes I'm wearing. She's not smiling-I don't think she ever smiles-but I can sense her enjoyment.

"Today is the day," she announces, "All citizens, Rebel and Capitol alike, must come down to the City Circle. The time for justice has arrived."

"Like you can call it justice," I mumble to myself.

Everyone is the room stands and we all shuffle out the doors. Already the City Circle is getting crowded. Rebels and Capitals all swarm on the street, trying to get a better view of the stage. There are cameras everywhere, sending the image of the stage and crowd all throughout Panem. The stage is empty except for the two glass bowls filled with slips of paper. My breath stops when I see the bowls. My name is in there. Somewhere in there, just waiting to be pulled.

The guards are forcing all of the Capitol children into separate roped off sections. Before they drag me away from my family I kneel down to Bright's height.

"I know this will be hard," I say to him, touching his forehead to mine, "but you have to be my strong little soldier. Alright?"

He nods and then guards take me away. I manage to squeeze Gasty's hand before I leave. I stand with all the other 14-year-olds, next to Blaire, trying to keep my hands steady. I look at Blaire and see he's treating me like a stranger. I feel a little hurt but I lift my head up and do the same. I smile at Bright and Father who are standing in the crowd of people either too old or too young. Bright gives a shaky smile back and Father holds up an I-love-you sign. I give him one back. Then the stage is filling up. Guards line up the perimeter of the it and the remaining victors sit in chairs behind the glass bowls. I look at all of them in their clean and nice clothes. Some of them don't seem happy to be here while the others seem to be enjoying it.

Coin steps on, looking as regal and sharp as she always does. "Welcome everyone," she says, her eyes unsmiling yet proud. I hear the cameras close up one her face. "Welcome to the last Hunger Games Panem will ever have. After these games are over justice will be paid, everyone will be equal, and life will be happy once again. Now, without further-to-do, let's announce our tributes. We have some already selected and we will announce them now."

The Rebels in the crowd cheer as she reads off a list of names. There's President Snow's granddaughter, his closest adviser's son, and a couple more relatives of the big political people. Thank you, Dad, I think to myself, thank you so much for not wanting anything to do with politics. Thank you for running an electrical company instead. None of the names really strike me deep. I don't really know any of the people. I do feel sorry for them; of course, as most of them are crying. I'm starting to tune Coin's voice out when one name rings out.

"Blaire Flenn."

My heart literally skips a beat and hurts to get back on track when I watch him walk away from me and climb onto the stage. Why him? His dad was just a guard...no, he was the leader of the guards. Of course he would be a big part of this. Blaire looks emotionless up there and I wonder if he was expecting this. His burns are more prominent than ever but make him look...fiercer. I feel bad for this thought but I think, what does he think of his Rebels now? When they are done there are six girls and six boys on the stage. Twelve tributes left.

"Now we will pick the rest of the tributes the traditional way," Coin announces, "I will pick the first name, and the victors will take turns picking the rest."

The crowd grows louder when she reaches into the girls' bowl and my heart speeds up. The cameras record her every move. She doesn't take her time and just picks the first one she touches. She opens it with one jerk and reads the name at once. She is not trying to be dramatic like most Capital announcers did when they drew the names.

"Dandelion Growth."

I barely hear a squeal over the noise of the audience as the girl is forced onto the stage. Tears immediately spring into her eyes as she stands next to the others. She looks to have just turned twelve. Poor girl. It occurs to me that I could volunteer, so Blaire wouldn't be alone in the arena. Something holds me back from calling out though. I couldn't help Blaire even if I did volunteer, I would just be a burden. That's the excuse I give myself, but I know deep down I'm just too scared to. Coin walks to the edge and the first boy victor steps up. He's an old guy so I don't know his name. He has a scowl on his face as he reaches into the boys' glass bowl. With a grave voice that's quiet but echoes because of the microphone, he says the name.

"Uniff Basley."

A boy steps onto the stage, standing tall and without tears, though I can still tell he's scared. The names continue being called. There are a couple of them that I know will stick in my memory. Like a girl maybe seventeen-years-old who already has a knife on her belt. Or a big, broad-shouldered boy who literally leapt onto the stage once his name was called with a mad smile on his face. Most of them look horrified and cry, though, and I don't think these Games will be very entertaining to anyone.

The victors start going a second time and I start gaining a little hope that I won't be called. Only five girls are left to call, surely I have a chance to not get picked with all the other names still in the bowl. My hope is short lived when Katniss herself pulls out a name.

"Shine Forever," she announces hollowly.

My breath catches but I try to make myself tall as I walk onto the stage. Fear claws at my mind as I face the crowd of sad and smirking faces. My thoughts run wild but I ignore them, trying to not let my fright show. I glance over and catch Blaire's eye. He quickly looks away. That did not help my nerves.

Peeta picks the next name and as soon the words leave his mouth a shout from the crowd rings in my ears.

"I volunteer!"

I know the voice; I know it as surely as I know I dyed my hair blue. But I still try to tell myself otherwise. The only thing that convinces me is seeing him walk toward the stage. I step towards him but the guards stop me from reaching him.

"No, Gasty," I yell at him, "Don't!"

He ignores me as they set up the switch. They aren't doing the exact system, since there was only one volunteer, but they have to do something. Once it's done he stands in line. There's no going back now. He meets my eye and smiles. I shake my head at him, the tears I had been holding trickling out. He should not have done that, only one thing could happen.

One of us, if not both, was going to die.

The names continue to be called, but I don't hear any of them. Everything around me seems to speed up. The rest of the tributes are picked and the crowd cheers as Coin dramatically announces us to be the tributes. Then we're escorted away into waiting cars and they drive us a short distance to a building. They split us into separate rooms and tell us to wait. I sit on the plush couch and do as I'm told. Its not like I can do anything else.

I'm just starting to get bored and start playing with the cushion when the door opens again. A guard shoves someone inside and shuts the door. Its Father. I stand up and quickly walk into his grasp. We hug tightly, not saying anything. More tears run down my face and leak onto his shirt. Finally he pulls back and looks at me, brushing back my hair.

"You and Gasty need to look out for each other," he tells me, "Promise me you will try."

I nod, "I promise," my lip trembles and I grip his hand. "But I'll be useless, I can't fight. I'll just be a burden on Gasty. I can't survive the Hunger Games." I start crying harder, making ugly sobbing noises.

"Shh," Father says, pulling me into a hug again and stroking my hair. I bury my face into his chest, letting my sobs out. "Don't talk like that," he says, "I know you. You are determined and very competitive. You have the will to win."

I don't have time to let those words sink in because just then the guard comes in to take him away. There's a bit of a struggle when I don't let go of him but he gently pulls me off and says goodbye. I barely manage to say I love him before he's forced out the door. I sit back on the couch, wiping away the tears. I take a deep breath and try to calm my nerves. Then the door is open and Bright is literally thrown in. I manage to catch him before he falls. As soon as he's sturdy he wraps his arms around me.

"Oh Shine," he says, "I'm going to miss you. You and Gasty have to win."

I don't have the heart to tell him only one tribute can win so I just nod. "And you have to be strong while I'm gone," I tell him. I'm glad I stopped the tears. I have to look brave, for Bright.

He nods into my shoulder and then sits up abruptly. He fishes something out of the little bag he's carrying and presses it into my palm. I look at it and see one of the little toy soldiers that he's been collecting since forever.

"Take it," he says, "as your token."

I smile and hold it close to my chest. "You are the best little brother a girl could have." I kiss him on the cheek.

His cheeks get some color and then the guards come. We hug again and then he's gone. Once again I wait on the couch, but no one else comes. It's great to see which friends really care about you, isn't it? Well I feel great because apparently none of mine do. Now I'm in a sour mood.

After a couple more minutes of just sitting there sulking the gaurds come in. They stuff me back in the car and drive me to the Tribute building. There's a lot of hustle and I find myself sitting on a bed on the seventh floor. I don't remember how I got there, but I know I tried to get Gasty to be my roommate but instead I got Uniff. I also know that all the chosen tributes are all the first six floors.

Dazedly I look around the room. It's a wonder this place wasn't destroyed during the Revolution. They probably fixed it up during the two weeks, and they did a lot. Everything is how I imagined it to be. It has all the latest gadgets that I had always begged my parents for. One of them allowes me to get food but I'm suddenly not hungry. I do take a long shower, pressing the buttons for my favorite temperature and pressure. After I dry my hair I look into the mirror. I'm skinnier than I had ever been before and the roots of my hair are starting to go back to their original brown color. The stars at the corner of my eyes are slightly faded but still sparkle when they catch light. I put on the clean clothes waiting in one of the drawers and sit back on the bed.

I'm feeling surprisingly calm for just being called to be in the Hunger Games. No, not calm, just…numb. I'll probably start freaking out once I try to get some sleep. To avoid that I get off the bed and walk out into the hallway. As I'm walking and looking at the decorations on the wall I run into something hard. I stumble back rubbing my nose as I look at what I ran into. Its one of the girl victors. Johanna, if I remember correctly.

"Watch where you're going," she snarls, though she smirks at me.

"Are you my trainer?" I ask.

"Partly," she says, "We're going to be switching around. But trust me; I'm not going to be helping you much."

She shoves me aside and walks down the hall. I watch her until she enters one of the rooms. Yep, I'm going to die. I peek into Uniff's room and see him messing with the view that shows outside the window. I open my mouth to say something, but then change my mind and walk away. I'm making my way up some stairs when some man comes up and literally drags me away. He sets me at a table where food is laid out. Johanna, Uniff, and another woman are there too, already eating. The man who dragged me here eats also. I pick at my food, hungry yet not wanting to eat. I know I have to build up some strength to stand a chance in the Hunger Games, so I force myself to take bites.

The silence lays heavily over us, but I wouldn't say it's an awkward one. It's more of a frightened one with me and Uniff because of how Johanna's looking at us. I keep my gaze away from her and instead at my plate. No Avox come in to serve the meal, so if we want more we have to get it ourselves. I decide I don't want seconds. I stand to leave but the man grabs my shoulder and roughly pushes me back down.

"Why can't I go?" I ask.

Johanna smiles, "We have some things to talk about."

"I thought you said you weren't going to help us," I say.

"We're not," she replies, "but I do have to tell you how things are going to work. You're going to be treated exactly how we were treated. So the first thing we're going to put you through is the chariot ride. Our very own from District 8 are going to be dressing you up. I can't promise you they won't humiliate you, but you have to do everything they say. Got it?"

Uniff and I nod. The man takes my arm and painfully takes me to my room.

"Can't you be just a tad gentler?" I say, "It won't be entertaining for so many tributes to be injured before the games."

He's silent as he tosses me onto the bed. He closes the door behind us and leans against the wall.

I groan, "Don't tell me you're my costume designer."

"Sorry to disappoint you," he says.

"What are you going to do?" I ask, growing nervous, "Send me out there naked? You know, I never liked it when they did that. It felt so awkward, even when I was in front of a television screen. And most of them didn't look all that great either. So if you think that I enjoyed it well-"

He cuts off my rambling by saying, "I have nothing like that in mind."

I feel a little better but don't let that cloud my reason. "So what? You're going to set me literally on fire? Not the fake fire that Katniss used, but real fire to prove a point? That would be a show, wouldn't it? Watching someone burn to death. Wouldn't that just be…?"

I stop talking when he cocks his head at me. "You talk a lot when you're nervous," he states.

"I do not. I'm simply asking what you have in mind. Because I'm pretty sure it won't be pleasant, so I want to know beforehand. That way I'll be better prepared to actually go in front of the crowd and-" This time I snap my mouth shut.

He laughs shortly. "Do you want to find out or not?"

I nod, not trusting myself not to burst into a million words if I open my mouth. He reaches into a bag I hadn't noticed was there and pulls out a digital sketchpad. As he walks over to the bed he slides his finger across the screen and sits next to me. He turns the screen and shows me a picture of a dress. I gasp, even on the screen it's gorgeous. It has a fabulous cut and glows like a meteor with a fiery tail behind it.

"You're going to put me in that?" I say, shocked.

He nods. "I'm going with the theme you already have: Stars. In this case, a shooting star."

I stare wide-eyed at him. "But, I thought you were going to humiliate me. Why are you going to make me memorable in a good way?"

"I don't agree with these games," He says, "We should end all the killing now. But since I can't stop it from happening, I'm going to do my best to help you."

I look back at the dress. "How will it glow?"

"Electricity," he states.

I roll my eyes at him. "Obviously. I mean, how does it get its source of power?"

"Leave that to us professionals," he says. Before I can argue he takes my hand and leads me to a mirror. "Now," he says, "to get you ready for the dress."

I look into the mirror and I'm suddenly very self-conscious about the way I look. "I'm a mess," I say.

"Maybe," he replies, "but not for long."

Then he goes to work. He plucks the eyebrow hairs that had grown when I'd been on the street basically. He scrubs all the remaining dirt and blood away and my face returns to its natural pink color. As he works we discuss how I should act for the crowds. We decide that for now I'll just smile and look big and ready. Then I'm forced to strip down as he looks me over.

"Now that we're getting so close," I joke, "Don't I at least get to know your name?"

He hands me a robe. "Linf."

"I'm assuming you know mine," I say, now comfortably in the robe.

He nods. "You're legs are fine, but you're hair is fading," He gathers his supplies.

He dyes my hair back to the original blue I had it, sparkles and all. I shake my head when I look into the mirror, enjoying the flickering light the shines through it. Haha, get it, shines…yeah, never mind. He brings out the stars on my temples and now you can't help look at them when they catch the light.

"When will the dress be ready?" I ask Linf.

"Tomorrow," he answers, "Shortly before the carriage ride."

"Thank you," I say, "for not trying to humiliate me."

"You're welcome," he says, "Now I believe you should get to sleep."

I look out the window and am surprised to see that it's dark. Though down below on the ground there's light and I hear that faint sound of a large crowd. No doubt the Rebels are celebrating, like I did just last year. I now see how horrible that was. They are celebrating me being sent to my death. I expect to be angry, but I'm not. I did the exact same thing my whole life. The Hunger Games was something I looked forward to every year. It was the greatest entertainment the Capital had. I'm disgusted with myself, how did I think this fun and exciting? I now see the horrors of the games.

I sit down on my bed, hit heavily with the revelation. I finally understand why the Rebels rebelled. These Hunger Games, the thing I took part of and celebrated all my life, were horrible and pointless. They are definitely not something to be famous and waited for, yet I had been brainwashed into thinking just that. What kind of monster was I?

Linf had collected all his stuff during my eye-opening moment. He took the door handle but I spoke before he could open it.

"Why did you treat me differently once the door was closed?"

He looks at me, "What do you mean?"

"When we were out with Johanna and Uniff you didn't treat me all that nicely," I explain, knowing he already knew this, "And then when we were alone you were much kinder. Why?"

He shrugs, "If they knew I was going to be nice to you they wouldn't have hired me. I didn't want to take any chances."

I nod my understanding. "Good night," I say, lying down.

"See you tomorrow," he replies.

With that he walks out and slams the door behind him, still keeping up the act. I get under the covers and close my eyes. I'm still for about five seconds before I sit straight up, my heart beating fast.

"Oh my gosh," I whisper to myself, "I'm in the Hunger Games."

I start breathing fast and my thoughts run wild. They turn into violent scenes of my death and my panic increases. I burrow deep into the covers and try to slow my breathing. The only thoughts that runs through my head are, I'm in the Hunger Games, I'm going to die, I'm in the Hunger Games, I'm going to die…

I fall asleep still deep in the covers and with those thoughts still echoing around my skull.

I wake up in a cold sweat and shaking. I just lay there still covered in blankets, waiting for the horrible nightmare to fade. Gasty's dying face finally starts disappearing when I hear something whistle in the air above me and make contact the headboard with a thud. This startles me and I jump out of bed screaming. I'm at the opposite end of the room in a heartbeat. I look at my bed and see an axe burrowed deep in the headboard. Then I hear laughing and look at the person that I just realized is standing in the doorway. It's Johanna.

"That sure got you up," she smirks. I have stopped screaming and now glare at her. "It's time for breakfast."

"Thanks," I say, trying to sound angry. Even I hear the wavering in my voice.

She just laughs harder as she retrieves her ax. I stay in my little corner until she leaves, trying to keep from trembling. Once the door slams shut once again I walk into the middle of the room. I happen to glance in the mirror and i realize I slept in the same clothes I wore yesterday. I take those off and change into new ones before tying my hair in a ponytail and leaving the room. I slam the door behind me, just cause I felt like it.

I walk into the dining room and pile my plate with food, now feeling the hunger and need to eat I didn't yesterday. I set my plate down and dig in, not caring about my manners today. The woman sitting next to Uniff, who I assume is his designer, eyes me and looks like she wants to say something but doesn't. I imagine my mother scolding and smile. The smile melts when I remember that my mother isn't alive anymore. I feel tears in the corners of my eyes but I refuse to cry in front of Johanna.

Uniff stands and walks to the window. That's when I hear an unusual ruckus coming from outside. I stand next to him and look down on the streets. I see the crowd becomes silent as they part for a guard dragging a woman. The woman is screaming, I can't hear it, but it's obvious from the shape of her mouth. I look wear the man is leading her and see a newly built platform. Another guard is standing on it with a whip.

"They're going to whip her?" I ask in horror, unable to take my eyes away as the gaurd pushes her to the ground. "Why?"

Johanna's watching from behind me. "She was trying to get inside this building to get to one of the tributes."

"So what?" I say, "So she wanted to see one. What's the harm in that?"

She shrugs. "They're just doing what you did to me and the people of the districts."

"I didn't do anything to you," I point out angrily, turning to her, "That woman never laid a finger on any of the the district citizens. She probably doesn't even know about it. It was all the government! This is completely unfair and someone should stop-" I stop talking when Johanna grips my shirt and brings me close to her face.

"Unfair?" she snarls, "Don't you dare start talking about Capitol people's lives being unfair. While you guys were sitting all comfy cozy in your seats, getting fat and making yourselves look ridiculous, the districts were breaking their backs for you. They were cutting down lumber, making coal, giving you electricity; they were even making your clothes! You know nothing about unfair."

Fear locks my mouth shut. Her eyes glare so fiercely I feel as though she's boring a hole through my head. From the corner of my eye I can see Uniff slowly walking away.

I swallow. I somehow find the courage to speak. "I'm sorry for that. But you're just as much of monsters as they are when you start doing the same thing they did to you."

Her eyes spark and she pulls her fist back. I grimace, getting ready for the contact. Just as she starts someone catches her hand and stops her. We both look over her shoulder and see Linf there.

"We were told not to injure them," he says. I can't tell if the anger in his voice is staged or real.

Johanna growls and drops me. I manage not to fall by using the wall. I press myself against the glass, scared she'll change her mind and strike anyway. Her next words hit me as hard as a hand though.

"You're right. She'll get what she deserves in the arena anyway."

My heart is pounding and it takes all my concentration not to tremble. Uniff and the woman-I really should learn her name-are standing in the doorway. When they see me looking they walk out. Thanks for your support, I think.

Linf takes my arm, not trying to be gentle, and leads me out of the room to leave Johanna alone with her food. We walk to my room and start getting reading for the chariot ride. He splashes makeup across my face, not too much, just enough to make my good features more noticeable. He curls my hair and positions it in such a way I know something must go in it.

"What are you putting in my hair?" I question.

"You'll see when the dress comes," Linf answers.

I pout my lips like a child, which makes him laugh. He continues making me look nice but won't let me look in the mirror.

"But I want to see," I complain.

"Not until the dress comes on," he says with mock sternness.

Just then there's a knock on the door. When Linf opens it he's handed a covered package. I'm bouncing around him once the door is closed, trying to get a peek under the plastic. He pulls it away from my prying hands and holds it over his head.

"No peeking," he tells me, smiling, "You have to close your eyes while I put it on."

"Ah, come on," I whine, also grinning, "I just want to get a clue of what I'll look like."

"You can look at the design if you want."

"But that's on a screen, this is the real thing."

Eventually he gets me to close my eyes. He starts to put the dress on but when I try to steal a look at it he ties a cloth around my eyes. After that I stand still, I don't want to ruin the dress. It feels smooth on my skin and fits nicely. I hear a click and suddenly the darkness of my eyelids is brightened. Something is set on my head.

"Can I look now?" I ask, hopping foot to foot excitedly.

In answer Ling takes off the blindfold. I gasp at what I see in the mirror. The dress shines brightly, along with a dazzling headband on my head. It contrasts nicely with my dark blue hair and you can tell what the theme is. It makes the stars on my temples glow. I shift a little to the right and a trail of light follows me.

"Linf," I say, awestruck, "Its beautiful."

"You will definitely be noticed," he says, adjusting some microscopic problem on the dress. "Remember: Smile and look confident. Shooting stars aren't afraid to make their path in the sky."

He turns it off. When the dress isn't on it's just a clear cloth with wires running through it. I can see my bare legs through it. Linf starts leading me out. "Wait," I say, "Its now?"

"It'll start in a half an hour," he replies.

"So soon?" I ask. I'm not ready. I haven't even gotten close to wrapping my mind around the Hunger Games, much less the chariot ride.

The door is already opened so he just leads me to the elevator. Uniff, Johanna, and the designer woman enter too. Johanna presses the button and then looks at me. She smirks at what I'm wearing. I ignore her. Just wait until I'm out there, I think. I look at Uniff and see that his designer was feeling generous also. He wears what looks like battle armor with a fantastic colored cape that flows off his shoulders. On his head is an incredible jeweled crown. I understand where his designer got this idea. Uniff has the face of a great king, with the regal features and strong body also. We'll be a very interesting chariot, we'll see who gets the most attention between the two of us.

We arrive at the ground floor and walk out. The chariots are being readied and people are bustling everywhere. I see most of the tributes, some of them look unbelievable, most are also unbelievable, but not in the good way. I notice all the chosen tributes look ridiculous, along with a couple of others. The rest of us are actually pretty good. I look around for Gasty and Blaire but don't see either of them. Then the chariots are being put in their lines. It's time to start.

Linf helps me onto my side and turns the dress on. Some nearby people gasp and I smile. The shooting star was about to soar.

"You'll do great," Linf whispers so only I can hear, "Everybody loves a shooting star."

I nod. "Thank you."

Then he has to walk away. The first carriage goes through the door, holding two of the chosen tributes. I hear laughter come from outside and know the Rebels are in the crowd. But I also hear some low murmurs, Capitol citizens are there too.

Finally I spot Blaire in the fifth chariot. I have to hold back a smile when I see him. Apparently I'm not the only one who thinks Blaire looks like a mime. He stands in a clear glass box. It's obvious what his designer was getting at. He's a mime in an invisible box, the irony was too great. He's scowling deeply with his hands crossed across his chest and I know he just wants to start yelling. I do feel bad for him, I really do but...after all those years of him making fun of me, I can't help but giggle.

His carriage goes out and the laughter grows lower. I can't imagine the humiliation he feels. Then the carriage after him goes. In no time our carriage is rolling out. At first there silence and I'm afraid they will hate us. Then the Capital citizens start cheering. It builds up as some the Rebels start. The Rebels! I do hear some booing, but it's drowned out by the cheering. I glance up at the screens. I see a moment of surprise pass my face. I really do look like a shooting star, with a trail of light and everything. Uniff is also stunning. We're about halfway when flowers start being thrown at us. I catch one and smile more broadly in the direction it was thrown.

"Make a wish!" I call.

I don't know if I was heard but they get what I'm saying. I hear shouts of wishes like, "I wish for an entertaining Hunger Games!" "I wish my daughter will be safe!" I even hear one that says, "I wish for you to win!" I turn in the direction of that one and blow a kiss. That section goes nuts. Capital people will be Capital people. I glance at Uniff and see him selling it too.

They cheer for the others behind us also, so I know we're not the only ones with amazing costumes. We make it to the City Circle and still smile and wink to the crowd as we wait. Soon enough all the carriages arrive and Coin steps up on the podium. The music plays its last notes and the crowd goes quiet in the same moment. All of the chariots go in circles as she talks. She gives a different welcome speech than President Snow, but it still proves its point and is very formal. The cameras cut close to each face of the tributes. They give an equal time to each face, letting the audiences at home time to laugh or aw. Then we make our final turn and go through the doors.

Linf and the other designer come up and Linf helps me down. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. I'm still grinning. They liked us, even the Rebels! Sponsors might be coming yet. Then I catch sight of Blaire. They're letting him out of his box now. A horrible thought comes to me: What if he doesn't get any sponsors? He looks my way and we our eyes meet. I try to express my worry about him with just my face but I don't know if it works. He wears an expression I can't quite read and then turns away. I frown and consider walking over to talk to him. Before I get the guts I spot a flash of red from the corner of my eye.

I whip around and focus on the red. I get a glimpse of Gasty just before the elevator doors close. He doesn't notice me and too soon he's going up. Someone grips my arm and starts dragging me towards the elevator. I stumble to match their pace and almost have to run to keep it. Its Linf, of course. All of us get in the elevator and start heading to our floor. I watch outside the crystal walls, looking at all the Rebels walking in Capitol streets.

"I'll admit," Johanna says, "You two did good out there. I'm surprised you got such good costumes." She glares at the designers.

The woman gives her an innocent smile while Linf doesn't react. I back up to the back of the elevator when Johanna and the woman start fighting. Uniff stands next to me, looking down at his feet. His shyness did not fit with the king outfit.

"You looked good out there," he says after a long silence between us.

"You did too," I reply.

"I still can't believe it," he says quietly.

"Neither can I," I say. The elevator opens and we start walking out. "It's crazy and it annoys me. They get mad at the Capitol for the Hunger Games, they even start a rebellion because of it, and what do they do when they win? Have the very thing they were rebelling against. Its sick, these games were always sick, but they think they're so much better-"

"Shh," Uniff interrupts my babbling. He's eyeing the other three in the hall, two of which are still in a heated argument. "I agree," he says, "but do you really think you should be saying that with her only five feet away?" He points at Johanna.

"Good point," I make a zipping motion with my hand over my lips. Me and my ranting, I was going to have to fix that.

He leans against the wall of the hall. "Training's next."

Oh right. Training. That's going to be fun. "It sure is," I say.

He rubs his neck. "I'm so dead, I can't do anything."

"Half the tributes can't do anything," I point out, "You'll figure something out."

He's quiet after that and we separate into our rooms. I snack on some food and mess with the other gadgets in the room. I don't realize what a mess I make until a couple hours later when I'm laying on my bed listening to music. Wow, I'm a slob. I don't bother cleaning it up though. Finally Linf comes to get me for dinner. We arrive at the table and I realize Johanna isn't there, instead it's the old victor. His glasses make his eyes look huge as he takes in everything. When he looks at me I get chills. He looks like a bug almost.

"Hello, I'm Beetee," he greets.

"Hi," I say, looking at my plate.

"You looked magnificent in the chariot ride," he compliments.

"Thanks."

"I can't help but wonder how you did it," he says, turning to Linf, "Tell me, did you use wires or some other way for the electricity to get through the dress?" They get into a conversation about the dress's functions.

I make a face at Uniff and he shrugs. I shake my head in wonder and start to eat. I believe I fill myself to the brim until I see the cake. Suddenly I still have room for more food. Grinning I bite down onto my piece. I sigh in pleasure, I haven't had dessert in some time now. Afterwards I'm full and feeling content. Beetee directs us to the couch and sits in the chair across from Uniff and I.

"Alright," he says, clasping his hands together, "Training is tomorrow and three days after that. What can you guys do?"

Uniff and I share a look. "You're actually going to help us?" I ask.

"Well yes," he replies, "I don't believe we should be having these games, but nevertheless we are. I will help you as much as I can. Now, what can you do?"

I look down at my hands. "I can't really do anything, besides make a mess, and annoy people."

This gets a small smile from Beetee. Uniff nods, agreeing with me. Beetee rubs his chin.

"Hm, I see," he looks at us for a moment before saying, "Okay, for now, just go through all the stations. Don't focus on just the weapons. Yes, they're very important, but the survival tips could save your life."

We nod, glad to have someone to tell us what to do.

"Find something you're good at to show the gamemakers," he tells us, "excuse me, the 'observers.' You'll need something to show them."

We nod again and I raise my hand. He nods for me to speak.

"Does it matter how we act?" I ask. Please don't say it's forbidden to see the other tributes, I think.

He thinks for a moment. "Act confident, like you were on the chariot. We'll go with that until we figure out what your act will be."

I breathe a sigh of relief. Confident, I can do that. We are excused and instead of going back to my messy room I decide to explore the floor. (Haha, rhyme). I walk around pressing the random buttons I find and walking away when they do something bad. After awhile I find myself looking out one of the large windows, down at the crowd below. How many other tributes have stood here while I celebrated their untimely deaths? Seventh floor, District 7, the lumber making district. How many stood here terrified of what was to come like I am? I shake my head and turn away from the window. I had been an idiot in the past, a stupid, gullible idiot.

I jump back from the person suddenly in front of me.

"Sorry," Uniff mumbles, looking at his feet, "Didn't mean to scare you."

I take a breath. "It's okay. I was just thinking." He's silent and I feel awkward. "Er...did you need something?"

"Hm, oh yes, I was just wondering if this was yours." He holds up something and I realize it the toy soldier Bright gave me.

"Yes, it is. Thank you so much for finding it," I say, taking it from him.

"It was no problem," he replies. He looks longingly at it. "Did you get it from your family?"

"Yeah," I say, smiling, "My brother."

I can't quite read the expression on Uniff's face. He looks sad and guilt ridden, but something else is there that I can't place. I cock my head, trying to figure out what he's thinking. He notices and quickly goes blank.

"I just wanted to return it. Good day," he says before walking away.

I stand there for a moment, a little confused on what just happened. Then a surprised shout comes from the next room, someone found one of the messes I made. And since it was a woman who yelled, and there's only one other woman here, I know who it is. She comes storming in and spots me immediately, despite my attempt to run. She takes me by the sleeve and leads me to the mess. She gives me an earful of angry words but after she's done I don't recall a word. I wasn't really paying attention. She sends me to my room, which I find ironic. I notice that the room had been cleaned as I get into bed.

I'm lying in bed, about to have another panic attack, when I realize that I'll see Gasty tomorrow. He'll be at the training and we'll be able to talk. Smiling I snuggle into the blankets and drift into sleep, comforted by this thought.

* * *

**Yep, so there it is. I hope you guys liked it. More will be coming soon...maybe. We'll see. I probably will have it in a couple of days. Anyway, please review and tell me what you think. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys. Thank you for reviewing, it made my day! I didn't think anyone was reading this and I look and I have reviews! It made me happy. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Its training time. :) Enjoy.**

**Btw, songs I listened to while doing this are:**

**Tomorrow Will be Kinder-The Secret Sisters  
Abraham's Daughter-Arcade Daughter  
Kingdom Come-Civil War**

**I know you probably don't care but they're awesome songs! You should listen to them!**

**I still don't own the Hunger Games. If I did I would be rich.**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

My next morning is much calmer.

I wake up slowly, without any axes flying at me or dying faces haunting my vision. I blink at the sunlight as I sit up and stretch. I turn to step out of bed and scream when someone's standing there, leaning over me. Uniff jumps back and hurries to the door.

"I'm sorry," he's says, opening it, "I was sent to wake you up. Now that you are I'll just be going."

He walks out and closes the door behind him. I take a deep breath. That boy could sneak up on you without making any noise. He's a like a ghost. That's going to be useful for him in the Hunger Games. Lucky him. I still don't have anything going for me. I stand up and change my clothes. I brush my freshen up in the bathroom. When I step out I jump because Uniff is once again standing in front of me suddenly.

"Uniff," I say, "You need to stop sneaking up on me."

He looks down at his feet. "I don't mean to."

"It's alright. Were you going to tell me something?"

"Yes, Beetee told me to tell you to meet him in the living room when your done eating breakfast." Already he's halfway to the door.

"Okay. Thank you Uniff."

I get a little nod of his head in reply before he's through the door and gone. I follow soon after but he's disappeared. To where, I have no idea. I walk into the dining area and eat, this time alone. I wonder where everyone is and realize the answer when I look at the clock. I had slept in, a lot. Why hadn't anyone woken me up earlier? I shrug it off and finish my food. I go into the living room to find Beetee sitting on the couch. He smiles at me and pats a spot next to him.

"After today I won't be here," he says once I sit down, "So I just wanted to make sure you know what you're doing."

I nod. "Act confident. I got it."

He's silent as he studies me. I feel weird under his gaze and shift a little in my seat.

"What?" I ask after a few more moments of silent studying.

"Oh, it's nothing," he says, finally looking away.

It has always bugs me when people say this. Do they think I'm stupid and think that it really is nothing? Of course it's something, or else they wouldn't be doing it. I fold my arms over my chest and glare angrily at Beetee.

He notices my glaring. "What?"

"Oh nothing," I say, "Just that you think I'm stupid and will just let things drop."

He smiles a little. "I don't think you're stupid."

"Right," I reply sarcastically.

"I was just thinking of the angle you're going to play," he tells me, "You could do innocence, what with how you look and the shooting star theme. But there's something about that just won't fit into that. A sort of mischievous gleam in your eye. What to do, what to do..."

"Oh," I say, feeling bad, "I thought you weren't going to be here after today."

"I'm not," he says, "But I still want to help you. Just think about your best qualities and what will appeal to the crowd. You can discuss more with the victor who will be with you during interviews." I nod. "So about today," he continues, "The observers will be watching you throughout the training. Act like you know what you're doing and try to go to every station. See what you're good at."

"Got it," I say. I'm about to ask him about interacting with others, but I afraid of his answer, so I don't.

"Alright, go see Linf and get your outfit."

I stand as I thank him and walk to my room. Linf is there, setting out my training outfit. Its plain black with the number seven on the back. When Linf leaves the room I slip it on and look at myself in the mirror. Now I really looked like a tribute, if my hair wasn't blue, I could've believed I was really from District 7. Linf comes back in and puts my hair in a high-ponytail. Then its time to go.

We walk into the elevator and once Uniff and his designer come in we head down. Uniff wears an identical outfit as me, and I must say he looks dashing. I mentally hit myself for that one. This guy was going to be in a game where he has to kill you, I tell myself, no getting close. Bleh. The elevator dings and the doors open. Me and Uniff walk out into the training arena but the designers stay behind. I turn and watch them as they go up until it's a tiny dot. Then I turn back to see Uniff joining the circle of tributes already there and I quickly join him. All the tributes stand in silence as we wait for the rest of us. Neither Gasty or Blaire are here yet, so I take this time to study the other tributes.

They're all wearing outfits exactly like mine, only the numbers are different. The one I remember as Dandelion has a number one on her back and looks at the ground constantly, her partner tribute teasing and poking at her. He isn't the biggest here, but he's bigger than the average teenager. Poor girl. I'm thinking that about her a lot...Anyway, I continue down the circle. Both of the two tributes are silent and stiff, as if something has happened between them. Maybe they knew each other before the games. The three ones aren't here but the four are. The girl is twirling her hair and flirting with the boy from the sixth floor, who's looking at her without really listening to what she's saying. The boy from her floor stands tall with his arms folded, staring all of us down. When our eyes meet I shudder and turn away. Okay, he's one of the ones that scare me. The girl from six is silently glaring at the girl from the fourth. Both from eight are crumpled into themselves, looking defeated.

I now look to my left at the ones from the ninth floor. The girl stands a little apart from everyone and keeps to herself. The boy is looking right at me, but somehow not at me. His eyes seem unfocused, but his gaze stays on me. I notice the stick he's holding in his hand and wonder what it's for. After a few moments I attempt a wave to see if this will satisfy him. He doesn't even blink. I take note of the rest of the tributes. Ten isn't here yet but most of them are terrified looking and on the chubby side, except for the girl with the knife and the boy who leapt onto the stage, they still look threatening. When I return my gaze to the boy from floor nine he's still looking at me. I try ignoring him but it doesn't work. Eventually I walk over to him. I notice that his eyes don't follow me, they stay where they were before.

"Was there something you needed?" I ask him once we're face to face. He's about six inches taller than me so I had to look up to look in his eyes. They still seem unfocused, even from this distance.

His eyes flicker but don't quite make it to my face. They steady at a spot just above my head. "No, I don't believe so," he tells me.

"Then why were you staring at me?" I question.

"Was I?" he replies, "My bad, I'll try to keep my eyes somewhere else."

I cock my head at him. "You didn't know you were?"

"Nope. I can't really see so I don't know what I'm looking at."

"You can't see?" I say, then I get it. "You're blind?" I wave my hand in front of his face. Everything stays the same and he shows no sign that he registered my hand there.

"Yep," he says, smiling, "And if you're waving your hand in front of me, no, I cannot see it."

I lower my hand. "I thought blind people had white eyes."

He scoffs, "That's only in the movies. Blind people with clouded pupils can easily have surgery to fix their problem."*

"So how'd you get blind?"

He seems surprised at my abruptness but answers anyway, "There was an accident at my father's work. They were trying to find a poison to kill all the plants the government mutated that were getting out of hand. My father had taken me to his work when I was little so I could see what he did. He was showing me how to work something when a container of an especially nasty poison burst and flew into my eyes. Been blind ever since."

"That's horrible," I say, "Can't they fix it with, like, surgery or something?"

He shrugs, "It was a kind of poison they had never seen before, so they couldn't fix it."

"Oh," I say. What was I supposed to say to that? "What's it like being blind?"

He thinks about it for a second, "You notice sounds a lot better. I remember a time when I could see, so occasionally its tortuous, but that's only when I'm in a place I've never been before so I don't know my way around. Most of the time I can deal with just using my other senses."

"Ooh. Will you be okay here? You've never been here before."

"Yeah, I'll be fine, I'll be able to get my bearings."

I decided not to point out that the arena will be completely foreign to him. He probably already knows it anyway. "What's your name?" I ask.

"Quadir," he answers, "It means 'powerful' in some ancient language. Yours?"

"Shine," I tell him.

"Do you shine? Does light actually glow from of you?"

I laugh, "No, not usually. Although during the chariot ride I was glowing."

"Sweetness."

"I know."

Then I see Gasty walking out of an elevator. My heart speeds up and I quickly tell Quadir I have to go. He says something funny but I miss it in my excitement to get to Gasty. When he sees me he smiles and stops walking, holding out his hands. I run into him and give him a hug. He hugs me back and we stay like that for a long moment. Then he pulls away and smirks at me.

"You never told me you could glow," he says, "That would've come in handy with Blaire's fear of the dark."

I laugh and am about to reply when someone from behind me says, "I told you, I was never scared."

Gasty grins as I turn to look at Blaire. "Oh yeah, and you cowering in your covers with a flashlight is how you sleep every night," Gasty teases.

Blaire scowls and Gasty tousles his hair affectionately. "You know I'm just teasing," he says.

Blaire just glares at him and pushes his hand away. I grin at him until I look at his arm.

"Blaire," I say, confused, "Why didn't they heal your burns?"

"Oh, they did," he says, holding out his arm angrily, "Partway. They thought they'd leave the scars because it 'looked cool' and that I deserved it."

"But that's so-" I start.

"Stupid," he finishes, "I know. They think they're so much better than us. They're doing the same thing they hated."

"I thought he supported them," I mumbled to Gasty, who covers a laugh.

His scowl deepens but before he can say anything the mentor walks out. We quickly split up and stand in our respective areas in the circle. He gives us the general rundown of how things are going to work. No injuring any other tributes, obviously. Listen to the instructors at the stations, yada yada, boring stuff like that. I stop paying attention after the first few sentences. Finally she lets us go. I meet back up with Gasty and Blaire and we look around. All of the victors are here at different stations. Katniss at the bow and arrows, Johanna at the axes, Peeta at the camouflage, you get it. The stations without victors just have regular instructors.

"Which station first?" Gasty asks us.

I shrug my reply but Blaire walks straight to the swords. Gasty and I share a look and follow him. There I find out I'm worthless with swords, the boys aren't too bad. Next we head to bow and arrows, which Gasty's really good with. Blaire and I, not so much. I can't help but stare as Katniss teaches us, lifting the bow so gracefully. I'm awestruck by her until I see the arrow hit the target and the image of President Snow flashes in my mind. By the scowl on Blaire's face, I can see he remembers too. Katniss is mostly silent as she instructs us, speaking only when she has to. The only emotion I see on her is when her and Peeta meet eyes. Hers flicker with something I can't name.

We move to knives, which I'm actually not too bad with. I'm still bad, but not as bad. We move through the stations, taking short turns with each. Most of the time I stink, almost all the tributes do. I look around and see most of them just tremble and drop their weapons. The knife girl catches me watching her and grins as she throws a knife with deadly accuracy. I gulp and look away. I see that Quadir had found his way to a station and now listens as the instructor tells him how to make a trap. Then we're called in for lunch.

All the tributes walk in the room and get their food. Most sit separately and silently, but not me, Gasty, and Blaire. We sit together and laugh and tease loudly, filling the otherwise quiet room. I can feel people's' stares on me but I ignore it. Gasty and I make comments on Blaire's costume in the chariot, which makes his face red in anger as he starts yelling at us. We just laugh and taunt him more. We spend most of the meal like that. We do spend some time serious, planning on what we'll do in the arena. We try to include Blaire but his chin justs out angrily and he declines our help.

Then we're back out into training. This is where the boys split up, Blaire going back to the swords, Gasty going to the camouflage station where Peeta is. I stand there for a moment, wondering where to go, then I remember what Beetee told me about going around to all stations so I go to the berry station. After failing at that I decide to join Gasty, who's still at the camouflage station. When I arrive both him and Peeta are in a discussion while Gasty paints on his arm.

"You don't say," Gasty's saying.

Peeta nods. I notice that his burns are looking better. "Its the truth."

"I'm sorry," Gasty says, "But you know what I just realized?"

Peeta and I both look at him.

Gasty grins, "She's the girl on fire and you're the boy with the bread, right?"

Peeta cocks an eyebrow and nods, obviously wondering where this is going. I'm doing the same.

"Together you make toast!" Gasty announces, his red eyes shining and mouth beaming.

Peeta bursts into laughter and Gasty joins in. I look at both of them as they double over. Their laughter makes me giggle, but I don't get the joke.

"Then we must be together," Peers says between laughs and gasps, "I mean, who doesn't like toast?"

"Exactly," Gasty agrees, "and your children will be the butter."

They have another round of really loud laughter and I notice us getting looks. Everyone in the room can hear the laughter and all of them ate glancing our way. Some are annoyed glares, others seem longing, most are just confused. Laughing as we're getting ready for our doom? They must think we're crazy, more so with the boys. I notice Katniss at her station looking over at us. Her brow furrows at Peeta as they meet eyes. Peeta breaks into more laughter. Apparently it's contagious because I'm laughing and a couple of people close by are laughing too. And we don't even know what they're laughing about. After a while they finally calm down and straighten out, a couple of tears falling down their cheeks.

"Gasty," I say, looking down at it, "Your arm."

Both him and Peeta look down at his painted arm. It looks just like the picture of the forest floor on the wall. Pine needles and roots from tree. If Gasty was to paint his whole body like that, he would be invisible. Gasty smiles and Peeta nods in approval.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who can paint," Peeta says, "Where'd you learn to do that?"

Gasty shakes his head in wonder, "I drew online sometimes, but I never knew I was..." He trails off.

I smile. "I told you your pictures were amazing."

We're called in for another meal. The rest of the day goes by in a blur. I don't remember one thing I was taught and soon I'm in the elevator. I catch Uniff looking at me but he quickly looks away when we meet eyes.

The rest of the training goes by the same, minus the laugh attack. On the second meal of the second day I invited Uniff and Quadir to join Gasty, Blaire, and I at our table. They both accept and Quadir immediately joins in our conversation, adding funny replies. Uniff is quiet, looking down and picking at his food.

I know what you're thinking: You guys are all about to into an arena where you will be forced to kill each other. Why are you making friends? Well, the truth is, I'm probably-no, more than probably, more like one notch short of definitely-going to die. I might as well have some fun on the last few stages of my life. I don't know what the others' reasons are.

I grow better at some stations, emphasis on the word some. I'm able to name poisonous plants and I can make some of the simpler traps. The weapon I've learnt to use the best are knives, though I'm still not that great with them. Blaire seems to focus on swords but does go around to some others. Gasty is just Gasty and figures stuff out on his first try. Lucky. The scary tributes continue being scary and the pathetic tributes continue being pathetic. President Snow's granddaughter is especially so. She seems incapable of not crying and most of the time I see her in a corner, rocking back and forth. I feel sympathetic, but what can I do? I just hope her death is quick and painless.

Then its the day for us to show the observers what we can do.

I wake up with my nerves flying high. My hands won't stay still except for when they take Gasty's hand in a death grip. We sit with our usual group of five in the eating room, waiting for our turn. Gasty squeezes my hand back reassuringly but I don't move my hand. After a few more minutes of cutting off his circulation he turns to face me.

"You know, I'm going to need this hand," he tells me.

"Sorry," I say, but I don't release his hand.

He laughs lightly. "You're going to do fine, just show them what you can do."

"I can't do anything," I say, "I'm horrible at all these things. Unlike you."

He rolls his eyes. "You're not the worst person here."

He playfully gestures to Blaire, saying he is. Blaire catches it and they start fighting, Gasty teasing most of the time.

"You can't say you're worse than a blind person," Quadir says.

I give him a look, which, of course, he can't see. "We both know that I can."

He smirks and taps the ground with his walking stick. "So I've had practice before the games. You're good for being a total newbie."

I give him another look that he can't see. Gosh, its annoying talking to someone who's blind. Then its Blaire's turn and he's standing up and walking away and my heart speeds up again and I realize I didn't say a single word of encouragement to him but it's too late cause he's already through the door and now I feel even worse. Gasty glances at me and smiles slyly.

"What?" I ask.

He looks at Quadir and Quadir, somehow sensing it, smiles back.

"What?" I ask again, getting annoyed.

"Nothing," Gasty says.

"Oh it was something, and you're going to tell me or I'll-"

"Hey, where'd Uniff go?" Quadir interrupts.

I glare at him, thinking he's just trying to change the subject, but then I realize Uniff really is gone. I look around the room but see no sign of him. After a moment realization dawns on me.

"He must have gone without us noticing," I say, "Which means I'm next."

I squeeze Gasty's hand even harder and my breath starts coming out in short little bursts. Slowly Gasty peels my fingers away and takes my shoulders, turning me to face him.

"Shine, listen to me," he says, "You will do fine in there. Just show them what you're best at. Whatever number you get you will be able to work with. Remember, we're acting in the interviews, which I know you're great at. I know you will be able to do this."

His words calm me a little and I manage to smile at him. The my name is being called and I find myself standing up stiffly. When I don't move Gasty gently pushes me, causing my feet to move. I walk through the plain white doors and look up at the people sitting above me. I immediately recognize Katniss and Peeta and other victors. The others I have never seen before. They all watch me, seeming to be bored. Most drink from fancy little glasses and pick from the plates full of food. I feel the butterflies in my stomach turn to piranhas.

Slowly I step up to the trap making station, deciding to do my weakest good ability first. I make the simplest ones, confident in those. I move through more and eventually make my way to the knives, the weapon I'm best at.

* * *

**This part is a little bonus for some of my friends. It's not part of the actual story, just something I was joking around about with them.**

* * *

I'm just picking up the first knife when the doors burst open.

"Katniss," a handsome man standing in the doorway shouts, really dramatic with the doors crashing behind him. After a moment I realize its Gale.

Said girl's eyes widen and she dives out of view. I see Peeta's eyes meet Gale's and how he hides a smile behind a menu. Scowling, Gale marches up closer to the space on the wall where they all sit.

"Katniss, I know you're up there," he yells, "I need to talk to you."

Katniss's head pops up, her eyes hard. "Can't you see I'm in the middle of something?"

Everyone shifts at the venom in her voice. I watch the scene with confusion, aren't Katniss and Gale cousins? Why did it seem like there was a love triangle situation going on between them and Peeta?

Gale's face is a hard mask, but there's something soft about his eyes. "I just came to say goodbye. I'm leaving for District 2."

A slight flicker of shock and sadness shows in Katniss's face, but she quickly covers it. "That's good for you. Goodbye then."

Gale's scowl deepens but he nods and turns on his heel, walking stiffly back to the door. The doors slam loudly shut and its silent after it. I watch Katniss as she stares at the door, a war of emotions filling her face. My eyes flicker to Peeta, who watches her worryingly. Something is definitely going on.

"You may continue," someone says to me.

* * *

**Huh, I wasn't expecting that to be so serious...I imagined that first part with Gale shouting "Katniss!" and her diving out of view super hilarious, but then it got sad. It kinda of works for the story though, I could just keep like that. Hm...anyway, back to the real thing.**

* * *

I pick up the nearest one and stand in front of the target. I take deep breaths, trying, and failing, to calm my nerves. I manage to get my hands to stop shaking as badly. I throw my first knife, which misses. After a couple more tries I'm calmed down enough and actually hit the target. Once the last knife leaves my hand and hits the bulls-eye-bulls-eye!-I turn to the observers and wait tot be dismissed. After a few moments of them discussing quietly among themselves they release me. I walk out the doors Gale did, slamming them behind me.

* * *

***I actually looked this up, its true!**

**There it is. What will they all get? Ooh, so intense. Yeah, I know, not really. I kinda feel bad for Blaire, but he's just so much fun to make fun of! And ugh, it hard writing the characters from the Hunger Games seris, I just can't get them right! Anyway, working on the fourth chapter, I'll try to get it up soon. Keep reviewing guys, it helps me write. **

**(p.s. I'll probably use these ANs to rant and babble, so you don't have to read them.)**

**Have a good day :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Its time for the scores. Ah man, what are they gonna get? Chapter 4 for the amazing people who read this. You guys are the best, thank you for reviewing and making my day. This one might not be as long as the others, but I hope it's still as good. Enjoy :)**

**I listened to the Hunger Games soundtrack while I wrote and it is freaking AMAZING! You guys should try listening to it.**

**(Btw, spoiler alert if any of you have not read the Mockingjay. This story has some stuff in it that are in the Mockingjay.)**

**I still do not own Hunger Games.**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

I sit on the couch in front of the television screen.

My hands wring themselves nervously as I watch the two new announcers on the screens. They're doing an introduction of the Tributes before they say the numbers. I wish they would just get on with it. Uniff sits next to me, with the two designers and Haymitch sitting on the other chairs.

Finally the announcers starting announcing the numbers. They start with Floor 1. Dandelion actually gets a better score than her partner. Guess he won't be teasing her anymore. The next few are all low, like 3s or 4s. President's Snow's granddaughter gets a two, but then again, why would I be expecting anything different? The dude who stood staring at everyone got a 8 though. He scares me even more now. Then it got to Blaire's floor.

My hand tightens on the arm and I hold my breath. I didn't know I would be so nervous for Blaire. I didn't get time to think about it though because his number popped up. 7. I sigh in relief, I underestimated his sword skills. Maybe it was worth it.

Then its my floor.

Me and Uniff both sit up straighter. The announcers take a little time to introduce us, it feels like they take forever. But then its showing Uniff's face and the number. He gets 8. Everyone in the room, except Haymitch, who just claps politely, cheers and Uniff actually smiles. It's a quick one though, and disappears when he looks down at his hand. I look down with him and realize I'm holding it tight in my own. Quickly I let go, feeling very awkward.

Then there's more cheering in the room and I look up to see the last glimpse of my number, which is 6. I smile, that's more than I expected.

I look at Linf who says, "We can work with that."

I nod and look back at the screen. I had missed eight and now its showing Quadir's face. I note that you can't even tell he's blind from his pictures. Do the viewers know he's blind? My thoughts are interrupted by his number. 9. Uniff and I share a look, we're not very surprised. Then its Gasty's floor and I'm feeling nervous all over again. I shouldn't have though, I know he's getting a high number, he's Gasty.

His picture pops up, his bright red eyes popping out. I wonder if they had messed with the picture to make it like that. Then his number is popping up besides him. 11. 11! My mouth drops open and Uniff gives me a wide-eyed look. We weren't expecting that high. He must have done something amazing.

The other floors go by with mostly low numbers, except for the big guy and knife girl, of course. Then the announcers are giving their last remarks and the screen flickers off. We all sit in silence and I start messing with my hair to give me something to do. Finally Haymitch gets up and starts walking away.

"I'm thirsty," he mumbles to himself, then says to us, "I'm going to my room."

We watch him go, all of us knowing he's going to get drunk. He's been a great help so far, not. We have only three days after today until the interviews and he hasn't given us any advice, none at all. I only hope our trainer tomorrow helps us. It's unlikely. Uniff stands, saying he'll also go to his room. His designer follows him and it's just me and Linf.

"Six," I say.

"Six," he says back.

"What are we going to do with that?" I ask.

He thinks for a moment. "The shooting star is its brightest in a meteor shower."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I wonder.

"You'll see," he answers before getting up and walking out of the room.

I groan quietly to myself as I stand. I'm always the last to know things around here.

Our next trainer is Katniss Everdeen herself. This time the air around the table is an awkward one, with everyone being silent and looking at their plates. I sit across from Katniss with Uniff next to me and the designers at the heads of the table. I watch them all with my peripheral vision, waiting for someone else to start talking. No one does.

Eventually I get sick of it. "So Linf, what's my outfit for the interview going to be?"

I just get a glare from him. It had been a mistake to try to talk to him. I blow out softly through my lips as I look at Uniff, who just keeps his head down. His designer is also silent, picking at her food. Finally I make myself look at Katniss. Her guarded eyes look back at me and after a moment of us both staring I look away. The next silence is even more awkward than the one before. Have I ever told you how I hate awkward silences. Well, I hate them a ton.

I stand, shoving my chair back more roughly than I need. "Look, we only have two days until the interview. Come and get me when you guys decide to do something."

I walk out of the room and into mine. I don't know why I'm so angry but it burns through me. I sit on the bed with my arms tightly folded across my chest and stare at the wall as if I'm trying to burn a hole through it. This is how Linf finds me when he walks through the door.

"You alright?" He asks.

"Just peachy," I say.

"Katniss went to her room shortly after you did," he tells me, walking closer.

"She's still refusing to help?

He nods. I groan and fall back against the bed.

"I'm going to die," I state.

Linf leans against the wall. "I was going to suggest something, but if you're so sure then I'll just keep quiet."

I sit back up and give him a look. "I could use all the help I can get."

He smiles. "That's what I thought."

"Alright, alright," I say, "So what's your idea? I got a six, that's not exactly impressive."

"I think you should act...excited. Act like you can't wait to get into the arena."

"Like I can't wait to kill people?"

He shakes his head. "Like you have a secret you can't wait reveal."

I pause before I reply, letting the idea sink in. "A secret that I didn't reveal during the observation. Something I know will give me an edge."

He nods. "When they ask about it you should say something like, 'A shooting star shines brightest in a meteor shower.'"

I smile. "I like it, all mysterious and vague. I think it could work."

"You still need to act like a little kid though. Not totally immature, just excited like one."

"Okay, this sounds good. But do I-?"

Just then the door opens and Katniss steps into the room. It's silent as we stare at her, then at each other, then back at her. She stares right on back. I see Uniff peek through the doorway and his eyes widen at the sight of Katniss. He looks at me and I show him the same confusion he has. Katniss turns towards him and he's gone. When she turns back to Linf and I she looks more angry than before.

"I decided to help you," she says finally.

"Oh," I say, looking at Linf for help. He offers none. "That's great but...we already figured something out and..."

I trail off as her scowl deepens. "So what's your plan?"

"Well, it's...uh," I can't find the words. Her eyes glare into me, not necessarily angry, but still...I shiver.

"She's going to act like a little kid," Ling saves me, "One with a secret."

"And that secret is?" she questions.

We look at each other and he shrugs. "Do I really need one?" I ask.

"If you don't do something eventually they'll get bored and see you as a fraud," she states simply, "You will not get sponsors. So, can you do anything that might be a good secret?"

I press my lips together. "Not really."

"Nothing at all?" she presses. Now they're both looking at me.

"Uh..." I mutter. I tried to think of something, anything, that I could use. I run my thighs down my legs and feel something in my pocket. I take it out and have Bright's toy soldier in my hand. An idea comes to me. "I might not have a skill, but I am good at bluffing."

They both raise their eyebrows. "And?" Katniss says.

I hold up the soldier. "What if this was more than just a toy soldier?'

They both consider what I'm saying. "Is it?" Katniss asks.

"No," I reply, "but I can sure act like it."

"Does anyone else have this token?" Linf asks.

"My brother," I answer.

"What will you pretend?" he inquires.

I shrug. "I could do anything really...a bomb, a weapon, poison stashed inside, maybe even something that isn't violent. Just name what would be the best."

Katniss narrowes her eyes, thinking. "They will know its a bluff when it doesn't do anything."

I smile. "I'll hold it out as long as I can, saying I'm waiting for the right moment. Then I can make some arrangements."

They look at me curiously. "How?" they ask simultaneously.

"My brother."

There's silence as they think about my plan. Then Linf smiles and leans back in the chair he sat in. "I like it. You could actually get away with this, if you know what you're doing."

"I do," I tell him.

"I don't know ," Katniss says, "There's too many unsure variables. How do we know your brother won't mess up?"

I stare at her. "It's the Hunger Games. How do we know I won't just get blown to pieces?"

"She has a point," Linf agrees.

Katniss's lips twist in a way that tells me she doesn't like it, but she agrees, "Fine. It could work, if you play it right. I like the little kid excitement, it isn't done with this kind of thing often and will catch their interest. Play your part well, Shine."

With that she walks out the door and closes it behind her. Linf and I stare at it for a moment before we turn to each other.

"Whoa," I say.

"Yeah," he agrees, "whoa."

"She seems..." I start, looking for the right words, "like she knows what she's doing."

He nods. "Makes sense. She was the face of the rebellion."

"Right," I'm silent until I realize something. "Wait, we never decided on what I would pretend my token to be."

Linf smiles and stands up. "You'll have to figure that out on your own."

He starts walking to the door and I start, standing up and going after him.

"But that's not fair," I say, "You can't expect me know what will be best. It's lucky I even thought of this! I have no idea what the sponsors will like or what to do. I can't do this on my own." I know it sounds pathetic but its the truth. Now Linf is opening the door. "Come on, please, I can't-"

"You'll think of something," he says, then slams the door in my face, cutting me off mid-sentence.

Peeta whistles and leans against the back of his chair. Its a day before the interviews and I'm getting nervous.

"That is quite a plan," he says.

"Do you think it will work?" I ask.

"Most definitely," he says, "if what you're saying is true."

"It is!" I say, getting annoyed, "Just because I'm from the Capital doesn't mean I'm an idiot! I can lie and act, and my brother can do it even better!"

Peeta holds up his hands. "Alright, I was just making sure. I didn't mean to upset you."

I take a deep breath and comb my fingers through my hair. "No, I'm sorry, I'm just really stressed."

He nods in understanding, "I know. Hey, why don't we do something to take your mind off it?"

"Like what?" I highly doubt anything will be able to distract me.

He stands and offers me his hand. "I want to show you something."

Without hesitation I take his hand. He leads me to the elevator and pushes a button I have never noticed before. We start going up.

"Where does this take us?" I ask, "I thought all buttons except the bottom one didn't work."

"Just wait," he says.

I make a face and he laughs. I smile as I turn to look outside. It's midday, normally Capitalists would be crowding the street like ants. Children would be hurrying home from school, and everyone else would be doing pointless things to make themselves 'look better' and entertain themselves. The students would be joining them after dropping off their stuff. Wow, I never knew we had such a pointless existence. No wonder we were so easily duped. Now the streets are filled with natural colors as Rebels walk the Capital streets.

"Shine?" Peeta interrupts my thoughts.

I look at him. "Yes?"

"Are you okay?" he asks, "You got a strange look on your face."

"Yeah, I'm fine," I tell him, "I'm just realizing how stupid and naïve I was when I lived in the Capital. Its pathetic, really."

The door opens before he replies and he takes me out. I gasp as I look around. We're on the roof! The air jingles with wind chimes and a beautiful garden grows here. The view is amazing too. Miles of the Capital stretch out below us and the sun is dazzling in the blue sky. I spin in a slow circle, taking in everything.

"Oh Peeta," I say, smiling at him, "It's beautiful."

He smiles back, but I notice it's kind of sad. "Want to sit down?" He sits on a bench and pats the spot next to him.

I sit, but keep looking around in wonder. "This is amazing."

"I know," he replies, "Katniss and I came up here before our games. It was at night." He laughs quietly to himself. "I considered it our own safe haven. I don't know why I brought you up here. It might be because you remind me of someone."

I finally settle my eyes on him. "Who?"

He looks down and caresses one of the many flowers. "Her name was Primrose, but everyone called her Prim." He smiles, at a sweet memory I assume.

"Hey name was Primrose?" I ask. That's such a pretty name, why would she change it?

His smile melts. "She's dead."

My hand goes to my mouth. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't know." He doesn't say anything, just stares at the ground. "How...how did you know her?" I ask, "Was she related to you?"

He shakes his head. "She was Katniss's sister."

My eyes widen as I remember something. The barrier of children in front of the Capitol building. After the parachutes came down Rebel medics came and they got blown apart too. I remember seeing Katniss screaming and crying at the base of that pole. I see the blonde braid she had reached out to. Realization dawns on me.

"Oh..." I say to no one, "Oh my gosh."

Peeta looks at me. "What?"

"I...I saw Prim," I tell him. His eyebrows rise. "I saw Katniss in the City Circle. She was badly burned but she didn't seem to care. She was screaming and trying to get to a corpse but she passed out before she could. I think she was trying to get to Prim."

Peeta takes a deep breath. "Yeah, that sounds like Katniss."

I search for something to say. "What was she like? Prim, I mean."

I get a smile, though it's a little one. "She was sixteen. She was the sweetest and nicest girl you could ever know. Always cared for others before herself. She didn't deserve to die."

I try to lighten the situation. "I remind you of a selfless girl? Me? Are you serious?"

He laughs, just a little. "You have the same sweet innocence she did. And you don't deserve to die either."

"Ah, thanks," I say, "but let's be honest, I don't stand a chance in there, do I?"

"I don't know," he replies, "I didn't think I had a chance, but I'm still here. It will help if you have a goal."

"Besides not dying?"

He shakes his head. "No, not like that. Something that will keep you, you."

"What do you mean?"

"My goal was that I wouldn't become just a piece in their games, I wanted to prove that they didn't own me. When it came to it, that goal kept me sane."

"It helped you so far."

"Yes. So, what's yours?"

I think. It has to be something to keep me from becoming an animal. Something that will keep me, me. As Peeta said. "I...want to prove that even though I'm from the Capital, I don't deserve what they're doing to us...We did it to them yes, but that was a terrible thing to do. I want to show them I'm still something good, I deserve to live. All of the tributs do, no matter where we're from. Everyone has some good inside them."

He smiles. It's a genuine smile. "And that's the truth. You keep that in mind, it does wonders."

We're quiet after that, taking in the view. I try to take my mind off the Hunger Games. I remember times before the invasion. I remember going to the movies with my family, the way Gasty and I always made fun of the dramatic parts and ruined it for everybody else. I remember helping Light pick out her headband. I recall the time Bright and Gasty played a prank on Light on I, and how we got them back. Even the fights I had with Blaire have a happy feeling to them.

My thoughts take a dark turn. Those times are over. After the interviews I will be forced into an arena with twenty-three other tributes who will be trying to kill me. The only one I will be able to trust is Gasty. We will protect each other until our last breath. Suddenly I know what I'm saying for the audience. I'm not giving up.

My last moments will count.

* * *

**There it is. Shine is being dramatic. Its fun to write. Ugh, writing Katniss and Peeta gave me trouble. I'm sorry Peeta, I couldn't write you to your full awesomeness no matter how much I tried! Writing about Prim made me sad :( Why'd she have to die? **

**Anywho, sorry about my rambling. Please review, fave, follow, whatever you feel like. It makes me happy.**

**Have a good day :)**


	5. Chapter 5

***Warning: Not sure how long this AN is going to be***

**I'm so sorry for making you guys wait so long! I've been super busy. First we moved, which took up a lot of my time. The school started (:P) which also takes up a lot of time. Stupid homework. Then this chapter was hard to write. Leading up to this I was like, "Whoo, yeah! That's going to be great!" Then when I got here I was all like, "Ugh, I don't want to write this. Idk what to do..." And then, about halfway through I was back to, "Whoo! This is awesome!" And it went back and forth from there. Yeah, that's my excuse. Not that you guys care but I feel like I should give you some reasons.**

**Anywho, here we go. Hopefully you remember what's happening. Oh, and I still want to praise whoever's readers this. You guys are awesome! You make this worth writing. Thank you so much.**

**I still don't own the Hunger Games. **

**Sorry for the long AN, you don't have to read it.**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Once again I stand in awe in front of the mirror.

"You did it again," I say to Linf standing behind me, "It's amazing."

My dress is dark blue, the color of the night sky. Speckled across it are stars. They shimmer as I turn and I even see constellations. It's not sexy, it has more of a younger feel. I wear small heels and the glowing crown is back on my head. My hair is curled magnificently and my eyes pop out light blue against all the darker shade. The stars on my temples seem to be shining. All of it together creates the beautiful image of the night sky and if I turn it just right, more colors swim across the fabric, creating the long-lost Northern Lights.

"Your smile pulls it all together," he replies, "Try to keep it up and enthusiastic."

I nod. I'm not feeling as nervous as I have been before major things. I think my talk with Peeta really helped me. Linf hands me a small box and I pick up the toy soldier. Before putting it in I take a moment to look at it. It's a simple thing really, with a serious face and bright clothes. I think of Bright and feel my lip start to tremble. With a deep breath I place it in the box for safe keeping. We have to act that it was important, well, a different kind of important than how I see it.

"You know what you're doing?" Linf asks as he puts his stuff away.

I nod. "I got it."

"Alright," he closes the last bag with a snap, "Lets go."

I take another deep breath and the door's opening. We step out into the hallway. Peeta's just pushed the button in the elevator and he nods to me before the doors close. We wait for it to come back up. Uniff and his designer join us but we don't talk. I look at Uniff's outfit and see they've stuck with the king theme. He wears very elegant and richly colored clothes. Another amazing cape flows off his shoulders and his crown is not as flashy as before, but still amazing. It's not as big and fancy as his chariot one, but that makes sense. He needs something to make a big impression at the chariots. Now he just needs something to keep that impression going.

"Here we go," I say to him. I hear him take a deep breath and see him try to stop his hands from shaking. He looks at me from the corner of his eye, giving me a look of quiet panic. "Hey, it'll be okay."

"Whatever you say," he says distractedly

"I know something that can help with the nerves," I tell him. He looks at me and I continue. "Just try to think of a goal, something you can focus on during the games that will keep you, you."

His hands settle as he thinks. I see his dark eyes light up and he smiles at me. I smile back just as the elevator door opens. We all step inside and start heading down. When we get to the floor our designers quickly lead us where we're supposed to go. We have a few seconds before we need to go on. I look out the window at the crowd waiting. There's very drastic difference between the two sections of it. One section has the wild colors of Capital citizens and the other has the natural colors of the Rebels. There's a man sitting on one of the two seats on the stage. His face shows on the screen behind and a voice announces him so I assume he's our interviewer.

My nerves are just starting to rise when we have to go on stage. I put on an enthusiastic smile and we step out. The crowd cheers as we all take our seats. Colorful lights flash and music plays as we wave and wink. I do it very animated and excited, like a kid would. Then everything calms down as the interviewer holds up his hand.

"Welcome to the last Hunger Games," he says, grinning his most winning smile. He's a Rebel, I can tell because he's natural colored. He's handsome though, with tan skin and dark hair. "I've heard rumors that this will be the most exciting one yet! Now it's time to get to know the tributes. We'll start with the ones from the twelfth floor and save the chosen ones for last. Come on," he waves his arm, "don't be shy."

The girl from Floor Twelve stands and slowly walks over to him. It's easy to tell she's terrified. As she sits he tries to calm her. It seems to help a little. During her five(?) minutes he introduces him as Sawyer Havenhawk. He asks her questions, which she answered with short, timid answers. He tries his best to help her make an impression, but she makes it difficult. When she's done all you know is that she's scared, very scared. While they talk I bounce in my seat like a little kid, still smiling.

The big boy, whose name is Garlett, is next and he proves he just as scary as I thought him to be. Big, strong, and bloodthirsty. Lukine, the knife girl, is the same, though she's scary in a different way. She's cunning and has a mischievous glint in her eyes. Her partner is also terrified. The girl from Gasty's is actually pretty funny. Then its Gasty's turn.

He stands up calmly and walks to the chair. He wears a sharp black suit with cool red designs going up the arms and legs. The tie is also red, and the whole thing brings out his hair and eyes. He sits down and smiles at the crowd. Some girls go crazy and I must admit he looks very handsome. It's very weird calling your brother handsome.

"Ah yes, Gasty, our one and only volunteer this year," Sawyer says, smiling with him. "And not just that, but tying in the highest score. You are quite amazing."

"Its nothing really," Gasty replies with the perfect amount of humble pride, "I just pick up things fast."

"And well, it seems," Sawyer says.

They continue talking. Gasty is very good at this. He's funny, charming, and seems comfortable and confident. The crowd is loving him. Girls are screaming his name and even guys seem to enjoy his jokes. Him and Sawyer are a perfect pair. They talk back and forth and know exactly what to say after the other. Then they start getting serious.

"So Gasty," Sawyer says, his face showing he's about to ask an important question, "Why exactly did you volunteer? Was it because you wanted to be in the Hunger games?"

Gasty pauses before answering. His face loses it relaxed expression and gains a determination. "No, I didn't want to be in these games. I volunteered so I could protect my sister."

I stop bouncing and my smile falters. The crowd falls into a hush as Sawyer stares at Gasty.

"Who is she?" he asks.

Gasty turns and smiles at me. "Her name is Shine."

Everyone in the crowd looks at me, including the cameras, wanting to see my reaction. I smile back at Gasty, but I can't help but remember him dying in my dream and how both of us weren't going to coming out alive. I'll be protecting him too.

"She means everything to me," Gasty says, getting the audience's attention back, "I'd rather die than see her hurt."

Sawyer and the crowd "ah" and the timer goes off. The crowd doesn't want him to leave but he stands and says goodbye to them all. He definitely has some sponsors. Our eyes meet as he sits down and we have a private conversation. I show him all that concerns me. He shows that it worries him too, but what he said is true. I tell him I feel the same. We end with telling each other we love them.

When we go back to the world around us the girl from the ninth floor is in the middle of her interview. She's detached and vague in everything she says. Sawyer has a hard time getting any emotion out of her. The timer rings before he does. The girl sits and Quadir stands.

The tapping of his cane is loud as the crowd whispers and murmurs among themselves. He skillfully finds his way to the chair. He wears dark glasses and dark pants with a gray shirt. Even though its casual it has an elegance to it. His walking stick is the only thing that hasn't been touched. He must have insisted on keeping it the way it was. He looks mysterious and handsome.

"Quadir," Sawyer says, "In my opinion, you are our most interesting tribute."

Quadir smiles, "I would say so."

"Would you mind telling the audience why?" Sawyer asks.

"Well," he says, turning to the crowd, "I'm blind."

They break into more murmurs. Quadir sits back in his chair and listens to them babble. A smile grows on his face as they grow louder.

"You don't look nervous at all," Sawyer points out, "Isn't not being able to see going to be a problem?"

"Do I look like it will bother me?" Quadir replies, "No wait, seriously, how do I look? They wouldn't tell me."

The audience laughs as Sawyer assures him he looks great. When Quadir's satisfied they continue talking. Quadir (Why do I sense Peeta-ness?) (haha, what? Peeta isn't cocky...) has this cocky, funny air about himself that the audience loves. He gets them in a good mood, which I'm glad for. Maybe that'll help me. Quadir's timer goes off and he stands. The crowd watches in amazement as he makes his way back to his seat perfectly. Floor Eight goes up next and they're both rather boring. The audience quickly gets bored with them. I swallow nervously, they're no longer in the best of moods.

Then the boy from eight is sitting down and it's my turn to stand. I make my smile even bigger and force my legs to stop shaking. I kind of skip my way to the chair. My dress sparkles as I move and I hear the audience aw in amazement. I twirl for them before sitting down.

"And this is Shine," Sawyer says, "our shooting star and the sister of Gasty."

"That's me," I say.

"I loved how you looked on the chariot," he says, "You were just like a shooting star, and it goes so well with your name."

"I know! I loved it too," I grin, "I couldn't have asked for anything better." I send a smile at Linf and get a small one in return.

"And how you said 'Make a wish,' brilliant," he approves.

"That was my idea. It was good, right?" I made myself sound like a child look for praise from their teacher.

"Oh yes, I found myself shouting anything I could just so I could make a wish."

I giggle. "I hope it comes true."

"Yes, I do too. Now, what have you liked best here since being called?" he changes the subject. I'm glad he's on that or I'd be blabbering about the same thing the whole time.

I think about it for a moment. What have I actually enjoyed? I think about the rooftop, but I feel like I should keep that a secret. "I love how there's all these things I can mess with. My dad was the head of an electrical company and still we didn't have so many gadgets. There's so many buttons I can push."

Sawyer and the audience laugh. "That does sound like fun," Sawyer says, "Have you done any damage?"

I smile innocently at him. "Me? Doing damage? I would never."

They laugh again. "Of course not," he says, "How could I even ask?"

My smile turns mischievous. "But if I did I wouldn't be caught. I can do some pretty awesome stuff."

"But in your training you got a six."

I pout and cross my arms angrily. "I know, its stupid. I could've gotten something higher if I showed them my secret thing, but my trainer said no." I let that hang in the air for a second and then cover my mouth and say, "Oops."

"What?" Sawyer asks.

I smile embarrassingly. "I wasn't supposed to tell you that."

"What? That you have a secret thing?" he asks.

I nod. "Its awesome. It can protect me and my brother."

He looks at me like I'm the cutest thing in the world. "You want to protect him too?"

"Of course," I tell him, "he's the most important thing to me. If he gets hurt I'm going to go all crazy ninja on whoever did it, and the secret thing will help me do it. I won't be a burden on him."

"So what is it?"

I pretend I just realized what I said. "What's what?"

"The secret thing! What is it?"

I put my finger to my lips. "It's a secret."

"Come on, you must tell us," he turns to the crowd, "She must, right?"

The audience cheers, agreeing with him. He turns back to me with an expression like he won.

I shake my head stubbornly. "I already told you too much."

"Please, you can't leave us like this." I stay silent. "Just a hint, just a tiny hint."

I smile and pause before saying anything. "A shooting star shines brightest in the dark."

I had timed it perfectly. The timer went off just then. The crowd groans and I shrug. When I sit back in my seat I'm smiling for real. It worked! I can tell the crowd is interested. Now I just have to do the rest of the plan. Which is the hard part. The part that doesn't just rely on big words. This is the part I need help with when I can't ask for it. I believe in Gasty though, even if he has no idea about any of this.

Uniff is up now. He walks regally up to the chair and as he sits he throws his cape behind him. Now I want a cape. He sits tall and proud in his chair, and waves to the crowd majestically. They cheer for him, and they have good reason. He looks absolutely magnificent.

"Uniff," Sawyer says, looking awed, "Or I should say Lord Uniff."

The audience laughs and Uniff lifts the corner of his mouth. "No, Uniff is fine. I may call you Sawyer, correct?"

My mouth drops open and I share glances with Gasty, Quadir, and Blaire, who are also surprised. This is a whole other Uniff than the one we know. This one is confident, mysterious, and not the least bit shy. Where did he come from? The rest of the interview goes like that. Uniff continues to amaze me. He's a true, wise and mysterious king. It boggles my mind. How did the shy kid that disappears become this? Its crazy. The audience loves him and can't get enough. When his timer rings he stands and walks regally back to his chair. He glances at me and sees that I'm wide-eyed. I see the Uniff I know as he looks away, his eye downcast in that way of his.

Its floor six's turn. The girl is angry, angry at everything. By the end of the interview she's steaming and Sawyer looks confused. He had said something that really set her off, but no one knows what it was. She stomps back to her seat and her partner stands, looking at her warily. He ends up being a nice guy. Not really impressive, but a nice guy. Blaire's partner goes up and she's wearing a ridiculous costume. Its horrible. She's big and confident though, at least, at first. Her act breaks about halfway through. She starts crying. Have you ever seen a big girl cry? It's a sad scene. Sawyer tries to calm her but the timer goes off before he can. She walks back to her seat, still sobbing.

Then Blaire is walking up. I cover my mouth with my hand to cover a laugh. Blaire glares at me, which makes me laugh harder. He's in a mime costume, a full-out mime costume. He wears black pants a black and white striped shirt with suspenders and black pants. He also has the little hat and makeup and he is absolutely furious. The audience is laughing and Blaire's hands are clenched at his side. His glare could curdle milk as he sits down. Sawyer actually looks rather calm, but you can see the held back laughter in his eyes.

"Blaire," he says, grinning, "You look, ah, rather charming."

Blaire's eyes spark and I cringe. I know what's coming up.

"Charming?" he says, his anger building, "This is all just a game to you," he turns to the audience, "all of you, isn't it? well let me point something out to everyone. What you're doing is exactly what you," he points to the Rebels, "were rebelling against. Why did you start fighting against the Capital? Was it just because you needed to do so? Some entertainment? Were you getting bored? Or was it because you were forced to do the Capital's work? Was it because you did everything for them, and as a thanks they took your children and sent them off to either die or become so haunted they might as well be dead? We all know the answer, and I was starting to agree with you. You had a good reason to Rebel. But then what do you do when you win? You do exactly what you hated most about the Capital."

He stops to take a breath and Sawyer start saying, "Now Blaire-"

"I'm not finished yet," Blaire tells him. He pulls up his sleeve, revealing the horrible scars that his healers has left. The audience gasps. "You see these? I was hit by one of your fireballs and was badly injured. Your healers refused to heal me all the way. They said that I deserved to have scars. Why? What did I ever do to any of you? None of these scared," he gestures behind him to all of us, "terrified children did anything to you. Sure we watched and celebrated the Hunger Games, and I admit that was very wrong of us, but that gives you no right to send us in. I know there are mothers out there. Think of your children sent into the Hunger Games, did you like it? Of course not. But you took away another mother's child and sent them in. Why do you feel so great about that?"

Sawyer seems to be getting angry. "This is about justice."

"Justice? Don't make me laugh. You had won, you killed President Snow. Why wasn't that justice enough?"

Sawyer's eyes narrow. "Some of us felt that you deserved more punishment for what you had done."

"Ah, so this is about revenge. I get it. You feel like you need to avenge your dead family and friends. But let me ask you something. How does this solve anything? My whole family was killed in your Rebellion. If you really wanted to create a new era of peace you would stop all the killing and separation. Look," he gestures to the crowd, "even now you're divided. How can you become one people if you start by killing the children of one side?"

Before Sawyer can reply the timer goes off and Blaire stands. He gives them all another defiant glare before walking back to his seat. I look around nervously. I'd been expecting an outburst like that from Blaire, and he made some excellent points, but still, it was dangerous. What if guards come in and took him away, killing him and claiming it was an accident? Or what if they targeted him in the games? Did what he say cause anything outside? I don't know what they did during his speech for the folks at home. maybe they replaced his words with others. Or maybe they just took him out altogether. Or, possibly, they just left it be, believing what he said wouldn't affect them at all. That would be the stupidest because Blaire had said all the things that I had ranted about. If the Rebels didn't care then it was pointless.

The tributes from Floor Four go up. I feel bad for them, both Sawyer and the audience are still steaming from Blaire's interview. The girl is talkative, very talkative, she won't stop talking. Sawyer hardly gets the chance to say anything, which is probably a good thing. Judging from his expression he wouldn't have said anything to help her. Everyone seems annoyed by the time she's done.

Her partner seems to know that his chance of impressing the sponsors are slim. He sits and looks at Sawyer, waiting for him to start. Sawyer stays silent and there's a very awkward silence. The boy tries to start the interview himself, but Sawyer refuses to reply. He sits there awkwardly, we all do. I feel so bad for this boy. He turns to the crowd and tries to start a conversation with one of them. The Rebels he tries just glare at him, so he tries the Capital citizens. The first one answers and they talk. the tribute is actually quite witty and takes the Capital person's dull answers and makes them funny. Then his timer goes off and he sits, looking slightly miffed.

President Snow's granddaughter goes up next. Her lip trembles as she sits down. You can feel the hatred in the air as the whole place glares at her. Though the Capital citizens seem more confused than anything else. Tears come to her eyes come to her eyes and they flood onto her cheeks. She balls freely and tries to grab onto Sawyer, but he shoves her off. This makes her cry more and she buries her face in her ridiculous costume. The rest of the interview goes like this. Once the timer rings and she's back to her seat she continues crying into her partner's shoulder. He gently takes her off and leaves her to go to his interview.

Sawyer is starting to calm down and manages a smile. The tribute does not return it. Sawyer actually gets the interview started this time. The tribute is stiff with anger but he contains it well in his answers. He seems likes he's a good fighter and seems to know what he's doing. I make a mental note to avoid him during the games.

Floor Two's tributes go up. Its obvious in their interviews that they know each other. Though their relationship seem complicated. Then finally we are on the last floor. Dandelion relies on innocence, though her costume is horrible. She's actually rather adorable. Her partner is so cocky it hurts and he seems oblivious to his low score no matter how many times Sawyer points it out. I'm relieved when he's done.

Sawyer says his last words and then we're leaving. We all stand and walk through the door, sending our last waves and kisses to the crowd. I barely get the chance to smile at Gasty before we each have to get onto separate elevators. Once mine closes I let out the breath I was holding. Holy freaking cow-pie, that was intense. Our lives depended on a couple of words. How messed up was that? I never thought I would be that nervous.

All my friends had been brilliant. They had played their parts perfectly. If we teamed up we would be so awesome. Wait...only one could sin. That meant the others had to die for me to live. Ah man, this is so bad. I won't be able to kill any of them. I shouldn't have to! None of us should have to.

Before I can freak out inside more the doors open. I step out and into the eating room, filling like I need to fill my stomach. I start filling my plate and sit just as the others start arriving. Linf comes in first. He sits down next to me and watches me stuff my face.

"You going to stop?" He asks after a moment.

"Nope," I say, biting into a muffin.

He laughs. "You did good out there, I could tell they were interested. Don't mess up the second part."

I swallow. "Thanks, I will try. Don't blame me if I blow up though."

Uniff and his designer walk in. I grin at him and he looks down shyly, his crown flashing. The boy from the interview is gone.

"I'm going to go change," he says quietly, turning away.

"Wait," I call out, "I want to talk to you about your interview."

He glances at me with a strange look in his eyes. It almost seems like he's ashamed of how he acted. His dark eyes hold mine for a second and I see something, but I don't know what it is. Then he walks out of the room. I frown at where he used to be standing. The girl-I seriously have to learn her name-looks at us for a moment before walking out herself.

"What's with them?" I ask around a big bite of bread.

Linf shrugs. "Uniff is just being Uniff, but I don't know what's going on with Valencia."

Valencia, that was her name. I was going to have to remember that. "Huh," I make to stand up, "I'm going to go talk to him."

He takes my arm, stopping me halfway up. "Give him some time. At least finish your food."

I give him an impatient look, then looks at the food and feel my stomach grumble. "Fine"

I finish the remaining food as quick as I can. Well, as quick as Linf will allow. He keeps insisting that I eat slower or I'll get a stomach ache, or puke. To be honest neither of those options sound good so I heed his advice. He also eats, but his portion is smaller than mine, so we finish at the same time. He offers to take my plates for me and walks away. I take this as a sign that I can go see Uniff now. I stand up and walk out of the room.

I stride down the hall, trying to remember which one is his. I knock on a wrong door and get an earful of Valencia. (I remembered her name!) When she's done I walk to a different door and this time when I knock there's no answer. I try again. Nothing happens and I'm about to walk away when the door opens. Uniff stands there, wearing new clothes. He wears simple sweats and a plain colored T-shirt. I can't help but notice how he still looks handsome in such casual clothes. He stares at me with a questioning look, wondering why I'm here.

"Oh right," I say, "I just came by to say you were incredible in your interview. I didn't know you had that in you."

He looks at me for a second with his dark eyebrows drawn together. Then he says softly, "You were also very good."

I smile. "Thanks, I try, but not as good as the rest of you."

"Yes," he says, "The others did very good. But Blaire-"

"I know," I say, "It was dangerous, but its Blaire. If he didn't get that out then he would have done something worse later."

Blaire nods in agreement. "I was impressed by all of them."

"Seriously. Now, are you going to invite me in?"

He seems surprised and suddenly nervous. "Oh, um, yes. Just hold on a moment."

He shuts the door and I do what I was asked. There's shuffling and the slamming of drawers behind the door. I put my ear to the door. He's seems to be putting stuff away, as if he was hiding things. I tell myself I won't pry, this is his business, not mine. I stand as patiently as I can until he opens the door again. He holds it open for me when I walk in. Books are scattered about, along with paints and pencils.

"You can sit here, if you like," he tells me, gesturing to a chair, "I'll be right back." He walks outside the room, closing the door behind him.

More waiting, cause I'm so good at that. Twiddling my thumbs I look around some more. I see something under the leg of the chair and pick it up. Its a hand drawn picture, I haven't seen one of these in a while, and those were on a computer screen. I've never seen one in real life. Its amazing. I can see all the erased marks and the lighter lines and yet the picture still stands out. Now I actually look at what was drawn. There's a boy chipping away at a wall, he has a little dent in it, but not much. On his side of the wall a man is grinning and pulling on a thread attached to the boy. It meets on the leg that already has a foot missing. On the other side of the wall a man waits patiently, holding a flame thrower. Below the picture is a poem.

I_ have so few days_

_Where I can turn things around._

_But how can I?_

_The world is against me_

_And all my ends have begun to fray._

I marvel at the sadly beautiful words. Is this what he keeps bottled up inside? I flip the page over, there's another picture. This one's of a sky with a grassy hill beneath it. The sky is full of stars and its beautiful, colored and everything. On the hill people lay, staring up at the dazzling sky. I smile, it's a calm and serene scene. Happier feeling then the other one. Something's off though, I can't name what it is. I notice another figure walking away from the others. I can't see any details because they're far away, but I can tell its a boy. He has something in his hand. There's another poem.

_Their faces haunt me_

_Every time I close my eyes,_

_And even as I plea_

_They still wait for my demise._

Suddenly the paper is snatched out of my hand. I look up and see Uniff putting it in a drawer, slamming it shut. He looks at me and hands me a bowl of ice cream. I take it and look at it, messing with the spoon. Uniff sits on the bed and scoops up some ice cream from his bowl. He doesn't look at me and we sit in silence. I'm trying to find something to say and he's just waiting. I realize I'm still in my interview dress, the stars remind of that picture. Suddenly I know what was wrong with those people. They were dead.

"Uniff..." I start then falter. "Why didn't you just use the wall?"

"It's not working," he answers, keeping his eyes on his ice cream.

"Oh." This is a very awkward situation. I'm not good in awkward situations. "I'm sorry. They're amazing, you know, the pictures and poems."

He looks up me, his eyes pained and conflicted. He manages a soft, "Thank you."

"I mean, seriously, they're incredible," I continue, feeling nervous and needing to fill this emptiness with something. "They're so deep and filled with emotion. I can't even imagine what you must have gone through to feel this way." I can tell this is the wrong thing to say when he makes a pained expression. Its gets worse but I can't stop talking. "They have so much meaning to them. I will never be able to do this. I haven't been through-"

"Please," he interupts, looking pale and miserable. "Please stop."

I shut up, forcing my mouth shut. I look at him apologetically and see he has tears in his eyes. He blinks and looks away. I try to keep quiet, I really do, but my cursed mouth won't allow it.

"What happened to make you hurt this much?" Bad, so bad. This is not the thing to ask. Uniff looks like I'm stabbing a knife into his side.

"I don't want to talk about it," he answers quietly.

"But-"

"Please, just go."

I look at hike for a moment longer and he looks back. His jaw is firm and his dark eyebrows are drawn in angrily, but his deep eyes are pleading and hurt. I don't think I'm the one dashing the pain-well, I'm probably part of it-but I think he's remembering all that made him draw those pictures. There's something else there that I don't understand. His eyes hold guilt, as if he blames himself for something. I'm about to reach out to try to comfort him, but he turns away.

"Go," he says, almost not loud enough for me to hear.

If he had yelled I probably would have stayed, but the pain I hear in that one breath makes me put the bowl down and walk to the door. I take one last look at him before I leave. He's rubbing something on a silver chain around his neck that I hadn't noticed before. It must be his token. I turn, open the door and almost run to my room. I close the door with my foot without stopping.

As slowly as I can I change out of my interview dress and take off my makeup. I don't want to think about what I will if I have idle hands. When I'm done with that I take a shower, pressing buttons the whole time. By the time I step out I'm sore by all the brutal jets of water shooting me. I place my hand on the hair dryer and when my hair settles on my shoulders I finally collapse on my bed. I mess with the edge of the comforter as the thoughts I don't want slowly creep into my mind.

I think I've been having nightmares? They can't nearly be as bad as Uniff's. What happened to him? What other things does he hide behind his shy and polite mask? I'm curious now, but it's not like I can ask him, especially after today. Hey Uniff, I was just wondering what happened in your life that made you hurt so bad that you drew pictures about it. Would you mind telling me? Yeah, already tried that. Warning to myself: Don't do it again! I have never seen someone so haunted and guilt ridden before. I will never forget that look he gave me.

My nightmares that night are filled with him. Him being pulled apart by threads, bleeding and his dark eyes filled with horror. Him laying among the people of his picture, looking at the stars with blank, unseeing eyes. I see me walking away from him and the stars, his blood all over my interview dress.

* * *

**Drama-bomb. I didn't see that coming. Uniff, you surprised me. It's always a good thing when your characters do something unexpected, it makes the story come alive. So yeah, there you go. The interviews. I felt like they were good, but idk...I think I kinda rushed it here and there. Plus, that's twenty-four people! That's a lot and I'm not good at just skipping over things. I actually probably dragged it out more than I needed to...Eh, oh well. Once again, sorry for the long wait.**

**More will be coming soon, hopefully. I should have more time so I should be able to write. Thank you all for reading, it helps me write, it really does. **

**Well, review, follow, fave, all that junk. You know, if you want to. If you do I'll...um...give you a...mind hug? Sure. Everybody loves a mind hug right? Uh-huh. **

**Have a good day :)**


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